Factors Associated With Physical Function in Adults With Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a widespread chronic pain condition affecting 3%-6% of the world's population. Research suggests psychological resilience, defined as the ability to rebound from adversity and adapt while retaining self-determination and a positive outlook, may play a role in reducing FM severity, managing symptom burden, and improving physical function. A thorough understanding of how resilience relates to coping with the adverse consequences of FM may enable nurses to develop interventions that assist patients in coping with the disorder and living a meaningful life.

The aim of this study was to examine factors associated with psychological resilience and physical function among adults with FM.

A cross-sectional survey study was conducted on a purposive sample of 200 participants recruited from the Autoimmune Registry Inc. Online survey data were collected on sociodemographic variables, resilience, physical function, comorbidities, pain intensity, and depression. Structural equation modeling was used to test the central hypothesis that age, sex, race, education, work status, comorbidities, resilience, depression, and pain intensity were directly related to physical function.

The model explained 14.9% of the variance in psychological resilience, 25.3% of the variance in pain intensity, 18.6% of the variance in depression, and 38.2% of the variance in physical function. Age and comorbidities were indirectly associated with physical function through psychological resilience, whereas age, comorbidities, psychological resilience, and pain intensity were directly associated with physical function. Depression had neither a direct nor indirect association with physical function but did have a significant direct association with resilience.

Nurses caring for persons with FM ideally are positioned to provide evidence-based care that fosters resilience and ultimately improves physical function. Since resilience was found to be directly related to physical function, nurses need to evaluate resilience and utilize interventions that strengthen resilience, thereby enhancing physical function among adults living with FM. This will allow adults living with FM to manage their symptoms and experience improvements in overall functioning.