Women living with fibromyalgia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study

Abstract

We explored the experiences of women with fibromyalgia during the COVID-19 pandemic from a qualitative approach by interviewing eighteen women. We identified seven main themes after performing a thematic analysis: pain description, pain triggers, impact, coping strategies, treatment for pain, pain onset and general situation. In general, pain worsened during the pandemic, and activity restrictions and changes in social interactions were particularly related with that. Pain negatively impacted different life domains: mental health, physical health, cognitive status, social activities and daily activities. Coping strategies varied slightly after the pandemic outbreak, and treatment was interrupted for some women. Results reflect that the pandemic was challenging for women living with fibromyalgia, and highlight the need to develop specific interventions for them in the context of potential future health emergencies.

Ethical statement

The study was approved by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya’s Ethics Committee. All participants provided written informed consent prior to enrollment in the study.

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The authors JVL and AFS are grateful to the CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP; CB22/02/00052) for its support.