Paresthesia frequency in fibromyalgia and its effects on personality traits

Int J Rheum Dis. 2018 Jul;21(7):1343-1349. doi: 10.1111/1756-185X.13336.

Abstract

Aim: Paresthesia and personality disorders are common conditions among patients with fibromyalgia. However, no previous study has examined a possible relation of paresthesia with personality traits in fibromyalgia. This study investigates the frequency of paresthesia in fibromyalgia patients and its relation with personality traits.

Method: Female patients with fibromyalgia (n = 101) were divided into two groups according to the presence (n = 49; mean age 40.63 ± 7.62 years; range 23-55 years) or absence (n = 52; mean age 40.50 ± 7.12 years; range 27-53 years) of paresthesia. Also, a healthy control group (n = 53; mean age 39.34 ± 5.26 years; range 23-55 years) was included. The groups were evaluated by the Temperament and Character Inventory. Accordingly, temperament includes four dimensions: harm avoidance, novelty seeking, persistence, reward dependence; and character consists of three dimensions: cooperativeness, self-transcendence, self-directedness.

Results: There were no significant differences among the three groups in the scores of novelty seeking, persistence, reward dependence and cooperativeness (for all P > 0.05). Both fibromyalgia groups had significantly higher scores in harm avoidance and had lower scores in self-directedness compared to the control group (P < 0.001). Also, fibromyalgia patients with paresthesia had significantly higher harm avoidance and self-directedness scores than those in patients without paresthesia (P < 0.001). In both fibromyalgia groups, self-transcendence scores were similar (P = 0.465) but significantly higher than in the control group (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: This is the first study evaluating the association of paresthesia and personality traits in fibromyalgia. These results suggest that psychological distress associated with high harm avoidance and low self-directedness scores are more prominent in fibromyalgia patients, and especially of those who have paresthesia.

Keywords: fibromyalgia; paresthesia; personality traits.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Character
  • Cooperative Behavior
  • Emotions
  • Exploratory Behavior
  • Female
  • Fibromyalgia / complications
  • Fibromyalgia / diagnosis
  • Fibromyalgia / psychology*
  • Harm Reduction
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Paresthesia / diagnosis
  • Paresthesia / etiology
  • Paresthesia / psychology*
  • Personality Assessment
  • Personality*
  • Reward
  • Stress, Psychological / diagnosis
  • Stress, Psychological / etiology
  • Stress, Psychological / psychology*
  • Temperament
  • Young Adult