Perfectionism, maladaptive beliefs and anxiety in women with fibromyalgia. An explanatory model from the conflict of goals

Abstract

Fibromyalgia (FM) patients are known to be highly demanding of themselves in achieving goals. In fact, some authors suggest that perfectionism influences maladaptive coping regarding health and hinders routine tasks. Despite the evidence about the anxiety caused by this demanding pattern and the difficulty it creates in dealing with the conflict between goals, to date, there are no studies exploring the relationship between these psychological processes from motivational theories of pain. This study aims to explore the mediating role of pain catastrophizing and cognitive fusion between maladaptive perfectionism and anxiety among 230 FM women. Results found that pain catastrophizing and cognitive fusion contribute to the negative effect of maladaptive perfectionism on anxiety. These results can be interpreted from motivational theories of pain (conflict of goals), allowing action guidelines for the personalization of treatments.