Evaluation and association of self-care agency with symptoms and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia

Abstract

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a condition of high prevalence, which causes physical discomfort, mental distress and impairment of social relationships. Self-care may be a relevant factor to improve the quality of life in individuals with fibromyalgia, since it is related to the act of empowerment, leading individuals to have control over their own life. The aim of this study was to assess self-care agency of individuals with fibromyalgia and check for associations between self-care and symptoms, quality of life and sociodemographic variables. The study included 40 individuals with FM according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology criteria. Self-care was measured with the Appraisal Self-Care Agency Scale-Revised (ASAS-R), pain with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Widespread Pain Index (WPI), severity of symptoms with the Symptom Severity (SS) Scale, and quality of life with the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire - Revised (FIQ-R). In data analysis, the Pearson correlation coefficient was used for parametric data, and the Spearman correlation coefficient was used for non-parametric data. The level of significance adopted was 5%. Moderate values were found for self-care agency (52.75±10.25), VAS pain (5.84±2.16), WPI (13.32±3.78) and SS (9.30±1.68). Severe impact on quality of life was found with the FIQR (63.98±17.26). Additionally, significant correlations were observed of self-care agency with social status (r=0.391), and with the following FIQ-R domains: function (r=−0.338), overall impact (r=-0.315), symptoms (r=−0.332) and total score (r=−0.375). The study suggests that individuals with fibromyalgia have a moderate level of self-care agency, and a weak association of self-care with quality of life and social status.