Predictors of health status in women with fibromyalgia: A prospective study

Although cross-sectional studies have identified correlates of dysfunction in fibromyalgia (FM) patients (e.g., psychological distress and pain), predictors of health status have not been previously investigated using a longitudinal research design. We gathered data from 156 women who met American College of Rheumatology criteria for primary FM recruited from both tertiary care and community settings. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis indicated that poorer health status (p < .0001) and more comorbidity (p = .0089) at baseline were predictors of poorer health status 6 months later. After controlling for these covariates, psychological distress contributed significantly to the model (p = .01). There was a trend indicating that palliative coping styles (i.e., self-care, energy conservation) altered the impact of pain on 6-month health status (p = .06). These findings highlight the need for multidisciplinary interventions that target psychological distress, coping, and comorbidity in patients with FM. This study was made possible by funds received from The Canadian Arthritis Society. Salary support for Patricia L. Dobkin was provided by Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ) as a Senior Scientist; Mirella De Civita by a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); Michal Abrahamowicz as a James McGill Professor; Sasha Bernatsky from the CIHR as a Postgraduate Fellow. The following physicians examined patients: Drs. Martin Cohen, Mary-Ann Fitzcharles, Michael Starr, Jan Schulz, Murray Baron, Pierre Dagenais, Suzanne Mercille, Anne St-Pierre, Sasha Bernatsky and Harbhajan Kang. We thank Ms. Natalie Dayan who served as the Project Coordinator, Ms. Roxane du Berger for her assistance with statistical analyses, and Ms. Tammy Allan for excellent secretarial support. We also thank the women with FM who agreed to participate in the study.