Empowerment Intervention in Female Patients With Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The literature supports cognitive and psychological therapies as part of the treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). An empowerment intervention is a patient-centered, collaborative approach that aims to enhance patients' capacity to manage their disease. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an empowerment intervention in female patients with FMS, which has not been previously examined.

In this randomized controlled trial, female patients diagnosed with FMS were randomly assigned to two groups. Both groups followed a home-based exercise program and continued their routine medications. In addition, the intervention group participated in a seven-session, group-based psychosocial empowerment program. The Visual Analog Scale, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Self-Efficacy Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Short Form-12 (SF-12) were administered to both groups at baseline and after the intervention.

Twenty-two patients in the intervention group (mean age: 47±6.73 years) and 22 patients in the control group (45.86±8.5 years) completed the study. In the postintervention evaluation, the intervention group demonstrated significantly greater improvements than the control group. Large effect sizes were observed for self-efficacy (p = .001, ηp²=0.242), depression (p < .001, ηp²=0.291), anxiety (p = .007, ηp²=0.163), fatigue (p = .008, ηp² = 0.160), and the mental component of the SF-12 (p = .002, ηp² = 0.207), while moderate effect sizes were found for pain intensity (p = .027, ηp² = 0.114), and FIQ scores (p = .032, ηp² = 0.108).

These findings suggest that empowerment intervention may be considered an effective component of treatment in female patients with FMS. Future studies should be conducted with larger sample sizes and long-term follow-up.