The mediator role of alexithymia between childhood traumas and fibromyalgia impact level of patients with fibromyalgia

Year 2025, Volume: 16 Issue: 54, 8 - 17, 12.04.2025

Mert Can Çoban , Haydeh Faraji

https://doi.org/10.17944/interdiscip.1541885

Abstract

Objective: Fibromyalgia is a disease that is associated with childhood traumas. The person’s alexithymic features, such as avoidance of intensely experienced negative emotions or the inability to express their emotions, may cause physical symptoms, particularly fibromyalgia. This study aimed to examine the relationship between fibromyalgia and childhood traumas and alexithymia.
Methods: Sample selection was made using the convenience sampling method. A total of 185 patients, 128 females (69.2%) and 57 males (30.8%), diagnosed with fibromyalgia participated in the study. The average age of the participants was 38.6, ranging from 18 to 65 years. The study was designed with relational screening and convenience sampling method. Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and socio-demographic data form were applied to the participants. The SPSS 25 program was used to examine the acquired data. Independent samples t-test, Pearson correlation analysis, and one way ANOVA were used.
Results: Results showed that childhood traumas and alexithymia predicted the effect level of fibromyalgia (49%), and alexithymia played a partial mediator role (8%) between childhood traumas and fibromyalgia impact level. It has been observed that emotional abuse (p<.001) and emotional neglect (p=.002) affect the effect level of fibromyalgia. It was discovered that the participants’ degrees of fibromyalgia impact and alexithymia, and childhood traumas varied significantly by education and perceived income levels (p<0.05).
Conclusion: In addition to physiotherapy interventions in the treatment of fibromyalgia patients, focusing on the patients’ traumatic childhood memories and helping them to recognize, express, and make sense of their emotions during the psychotherapy process will help alleviate the patients’ pain intensity.

Keywords

Fibromyalgia, childhood traumas, emotional deafness, alexithymia

Ethical Statement

The Istanbul Aydın University Ethics Committee then reviewed the pertinent study to determine whether any ethical violations were found. The Istanbul Aydın University ethical committee gave its approval to the study and it started on December 1, 2021, with the number 2021/12 and the permission of the Dean of Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Physical Therapy, and Rehabilitation Department, dated 15.12.2021 and numbered 263090.

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