Negative affects like depression, anxiety and stress are frequently observed in patients with fibromyalgia (FMS). Understanding the association between FMS and negative affects is likely to help in deciding the choice of treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between the severity of FMS with the severity of depression, anxiety and stress.
Sixty patients with fibromyalgia and 60 healthy controls were included in the study. Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire Revised (FIQR), and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS21) were administered to both the groups. The mean age of study population was 40.4±9.9 and 36±8.7 for FMS and control groups respectively. Most of the patients were females (93.3%).
In subjects without FMS, depression was seen in 5% and was significantly associated with all three components of FIQR (p<0.01), namely pain, symptoms and functional impairment. However, patients with FMS suffered more from all three components assessed in FIQR than those without FMS. In patients with FMS the severity of depression, anxiety and stress were found significantly associated with the severity of all three components of FIQR, namely pain, function and symptoms (p<0.01).
Results suggest that FMS is associated with depression, anxiety and stress and in FMS magnitude of negative affects is significantly correlated with FIQR. However, depression alone in absence of FMS can also give rise to all three components of FIQR.