title: Predictors of health status in women with fibromyalgia: a prospective study.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Epidemiology, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. patricia.dobkin@mcgill.ca
authors.forename: Patricia L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Dobkin
authors.forename: Mirella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Civita
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abrahamowicz
authors.forename: Murray
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baron
authors.forename: Sasha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bernatsky
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011792:Quebec