Background/Purpose: Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized mainly by the presence of generalized pain accompanied by emotional and cognitive symptoms. The evidence shows that in order to face the emotional consequences of pain, there must be an adequate capacity for self-regulation that is, in part, mediated by executive functions. However, this relationship between the emotional and the cognitive has been scarce studied in FM patients, whose shows a deficit in the use of emotional regulation strategies and executive functions. The purpose of the study was to compare the emotional regulation processes between FM and healthy subjects, and also to explore the relationship between emotional regulation and the processes of executive functions within FM patients.

Methods: 55 FM patients who satisfy the ACR criteria were included, and a healthy group matched by age and sex was also recruited. Both groups completed the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS). Comparison of the groups was performed by the Student’s t-test. For the second purpose of the study, 30 women in the FM group completed the measure of planning and monitoring with the Map of the Zoo (BADS: Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome the Map of the Zoo test). For the second purpose, a Spearman’s Rho was carried out.

Results: The results found statistically significant differences in all the scales of the DERS (p <.01), showing that FM patients had greater difficulties in the emotional regulation process in comparison with a control group. The result of explore the relationship between executive function and emotional regulation showed a negative correlation between the emotional lack of control scale and the total score in formulating (rho = -.43, p=.04) and the total score of planning (formulating and executing a plan) (rho=-.47, p=.03), and between the interference emotional scale and the formulating (rho = -.45, p =.04) and the total score of planning (rho = -.44, p =.04).

Conclusion:

The results of the present study indicate that, although FM patients do not differ from the control group in the attention or awareness given to their emotional states, they are not able to implement other strategies to regulate that emotional state. Moreover, these problems in the use of emotional strategies could be due to difficulties in the executive processes. Therefore, cognitive function impaired could potentiate alterations in psychological processes, so specific interventions could be designed in order to improve executive function and increasing the use of strategies for emotional regulation.

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/shedding-light-on-fibromyalgia-emotional-regulation-processes-and-executive-functions-join-together/