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Abstract
Objective: To investigate stable personality traits in 73 patients with fibromyalgia [FMS] and compare the results with healthy controls, and patients with rheumatoid arthritis [RA].
Methods: Personality traits were assessed by means of the Karolinska Scales of Personality.
Results: Fibromyalgia patients had significantly higher scores on the scales for somatic anxiety, muscular tension, and psychasthenia compared to patients with RA and healthy controls. Scores for psychic anxiety was in the same range in both patient groups, and was significantly lower in FMS patients compared to normals. Despite the considerable variation, as concerns duration of illness in the FMS patients, only the psychasthenia scale correlated significantly with duration of illness.
Conclusion: Fibromyalgia patients are characterized by high anxiety proneness associated with autonomic symptoms, difficulties in relaxing and easily fatigued. High scores in somatic anxiety and low psychic anxiety might indicate difficulties in relaxing and a low mental energy not revealed as a cognitive and social anxiety.