PTSD: A Predictor of Pain Severity in Fibromyalgia Patients

Traumatic life events have been frequently observed in chronic pain patients in empirical research. More specifically, fibromyalgia (FM) has been reported to occur more often after a traumatic event. As posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is also preceded by a traumatic event and has been associated with chronic pain and FM, the relationship between three variables (traumatic events, pain severity, and PTSD) is evaluated. This study examined data from 26 participants who reported having experienced at least one traumatic event and having been diagnosed with FM by a physician. The TLEQ, BPI, and PCL-C were used as measures for traumatic events, pain severity, and PTSD symptomatology, respectively. The total number of traumatic events (TNTE), number of traumatic events experienced in childhood (NTEC), and number of exceptionally traumatic events (H/H) were not able to individually predict pain severity in the whole group. However, TNTE predicted PCL-C scores and PCL-C scores predicted pain severity. Also, upon splitting the group into subgroups based on when the most traumatic event (MTE) was experienced, both TNTE and PCL-C scores predicted pain severity in the group that experienced their MTE in adulthood.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Health Psychology

Grantor

Texas State University-San Marcos

Year dc:date.issued

2010

Author dc:creator

• Sramek, Kristin N.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Etherton, Joseph L.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Haskard-Zolnierek, Kelly B.
• Stimmel, Theron

• trauma
• traumatic events
• chronic pain
• fibromyalgia
• PTSD
• stress responses

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10877/2448

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digital.library.txst.edu:10877/2448