Adult attachment styles, self-esteem, and quality of life in women with fibromyalgia

Abstract

Recently, the research on pain-related disability has increasingly paid attention to the psychological and social factors that may influence the biological condition. In the current study, we aimed to explore attachment styles, self-esteem, and quality of life in individuals with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. Participants were 371 diagnosed women, with a mean age of 42.7 years (standard deviation = 10.6). The average number of years since diagnosis was 7.4 years (standard deviation = 2.4) years. To assess attachment, quality of life, and self-esteem, women responded, respectively, to the Relationship Questionnaire, the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory. Our results showed that secure attachment relationships and high self-esteem represent protective factors for quality of life of women with fibromyalgia, while the contrary emerged for insecure attachments and low self-esteem. The understanding of the psychological components that contribute to fibromyalgia may improve the effectiveness of interventions.

Depressive Symptoms and Quality of Life in a Sample of Italian Women with a Diagnosis of Fibromyalgia: The Role of Attachment Styles

“…Consistent with the attachment literature [12,18] and our hypotheses, our study results suggest that insecure attachment styles may be an additional risk factors for QoL of women with FM. Specifically, women with dismissive, preoccupied, and fearful attachment styles had significantly lower levels of QoL compared to women with a secure attachment style.…”

“…Evidence from recent studies suggests that attachment may intervene in these processes [12]. According to the attachment theory [13], several studies investigated how attachment styles may affect mood states and health outcomes [12].…”

“…Two additional items measure overall QoL and overall health. The WHOQOL-BREF has been utilized to evaluate QoL in individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome [12,32]. Higher scores show a higher perceived QoL.…”

Suicidal Ideation Profiles in Patients with Fibromyalgia Using Transdiagnostic Psychological and Fibromyalgia-Associated Variables

“…Longitudinal studies would provide information regarding this temporal fluctuation and its possible impact on the development of suicidal ideation in FM patients. Similarly, future studies should evaluate the contribution of other variables (e.g., attachment styles) that have been shown to be related to ideation and suicidal behavior in high-risk suicidal samples and fibromyalgia patients [ 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 ], as well as explore the relationship of these variables and the key elements of ideation-to-action theories.…”

Efectos de un programa de telerrehabilitación basado en ejercicio terapéutico aeróbico en pacientes con fibromialgia durante la pandemia de la COVID-19

“…Este cuestionario también reflejó puntuaciones por encima de los rangos observados en otros estudios, lo que evidencia una peor calidad de vida de la muestra en este estudio (Garı̇p et al, 2020;Moyano et al, 2019;Paolucci et al, 2016). Una disminución de la capacidad funcional y un deterioro en el estado psicológico se han asociado a peor percepción de la calidad de vida en pacientes con FM Sechi et al, 2020;Segura-Jiménez et al, 2017). Es posible que la baja capacidad funcional y los altos niveles de ansiedad y depresión pudieran estar relacionados con la mala calidad de vida observada en el momento de la primera medición.…”