Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common, debilitating and costly chronic pain syndrome characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, disrupted sleep, and physical function. FM affects both the patient and family unit, in particular, the marital relationship. Patients and spouses struggle to manage symptoms and adapt to the unpredictable nature of the syndrome based on their individual perceptions. When perceptions are incongruent it may lead to inadequate symptom management and consequently poor quality of life. Such incongruence can also be problematic for decisions made by the couple regarding treatment, employment and role changes. The basic tenet of this research application is that interactions between the patient and family members exert both a positive and negative influence on symptoms and long term outcome, and it is of therapeutic value to analyze and treat emerging problems in this area. The ultimate goal of the proposed study is to design a couple intervention to enhance the well-being of both patient and spouse, and ultimately to improve the patient quality of care. This study will enroll 200 FM couples in a cross-sectional study over 12 months to address the following Specific Aims: 1) To identify the individual, couple, and family-level variables associated with symptom incongruence in FM couples. 2) To explore the association between symptom incongruence and quality of life of both members of the FM couple. 3) To explore the association between symptom incongruence and decision-making satisfaction of both members of the FM couple. .PROJECT NARRATIVE: Understanding ways in which FM patients and spouses disagree in their perceptions and identifying those couples most at risk will enable interventions to maximize the health and well-being of patient and spouse, and balance the needs of both members of the couple. This study has broad implications for understanding incongruence in other rheumatic samples and in the design of future interventions and management plans at the level of the couple.
| Huang, Ellen R; Jones, Kim D; Bennett, Rob M et al. (2018) The role of spousal relationships in fibromyalgia patients' quality of life. Psychol Health Med 23:987-995 |
| Bennett, Robert M; Friend, Ronald; Marcus, Dawn et al. (2014) Criteria for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia: validation of the modified 2010 preliminary American College of Rheumatology criteria and the development of alternative criteria. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 66:1364-73 |
| Lyons, Karen S; Jones, Kim D; Bennett, Robert M et al. (2013) Couple perceptions of fibromyalgia symptoms: the role of communication. Pain 154:2417-26 |
