Brief cognitive-behavioral therapy with fibromyalgia patients in routine care.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) group intervention for fibromyalgia syndrome in routine care.


METHODS
Thirty-four female outpatients who participated in a 5- to 6-week group CBT program were assessed for depression (Beck Depression Inventory), anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), coping strategies (Coping Questionnaire for Chronic Pain), physical functioning (Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire), and somatization (Health Attitude Survey) at 3 time points (baseline, pretreatment, and posttreatment) using a pre-post, quasi-experimental design.


RESULTS
Twenty-three female outpatients (68% of the initial sample) for which data were available in all 3 time points were included in the analyses. No changes were found during the waiting period. During the treatment period, there were significant reductions in depression (P = .001) and anxiety (P = .006) symptoms and an increased use of distraction skills (P < .001). The analysis of rate of change showed a significant correlation between anxiety and depression (P = .004), but not between these variables and the use of distraction as a coping strategy.


CONCLUSIONS
Brief group CBT is effective in reducing emotional distress in female patients with long-standing fibromyalgia syndrome in the context of routine care. Attention-distraction skills appear to be amenable to change by means of brief CBT, but further research is needed to clarify their contribution to short-term clinical improvement.
Instituto de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental, Hospital Universitario Clínico San Carlos, Madrid 28040, Spain.
Susana
S
Vázquez-Rivera
César
C
González-Blanch
Laura
L
Rodríguez-Moya
Dolores
D
Morón
Sara
S
González-Vives
José Luis
JL
Carrasco
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001007:Anxiety / Q000628:therapy; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D059408:Pain Management; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome