Association between childhood trauma and loss of functionality in adult women with fibromyalgia

Trends Psychiatry Psychother. 2013;35(1):46-54. doi: 10.1590/s2237-60892013000100006.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate whether history of childhood trauma is associated with loss of functionality in adult women with fibromyalgia (FM). A secondary objective was to assess the presence of differences between depressed and non-depressed adult women with FM in a regression model for functionality.

Methods: A total of 114 adult women with FM according to the American College of Rheumatology diagnostic criteria answered the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire. All subjects were interviewed by trained psychiatrists and evaluated for depression using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) - Brazilian version 5.0.0. Correlation and regression models were used to investigate associations between childhood trauma and loss of functionality among patients with FM. The sample was stratified by presence and absence of clinical depression.

Results: Overall, childhood trauma was associated with of loss of functionality in adult women with FM. When stratified by depression, the regression model significantly increased the association among non-depressed patients, even after adjustment for age and use of psychotropic medications.

Conclusions: Childhood trauma showed a clinically important association with loss of functionality among adult women with FM. The associations were more pronounced among subjects without comorbid depression.