1. Pain-Related Worrying and Goal Preferences Determine Walking Persistence in Women with Fibromyalgia
- Author
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María Ángeles Pastor-Mira, Sofía López-Roig, Eva Toribio, Fermín Martínez-Zaragoza, Ainara Nardi-Rodríguez, and Cecilia Peñacoba
- Subjects
pain catastrophizing ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Pain ,pain-related worrying ,walking ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,fibromyalgia ,women ,goal preferences ,physical activity ,Humans ,Medicine ,Female ,Goals ,human activities - Abstract
Physical activity and exercise are relevant behaviors for fibromyalgia health outcomes; however, patients have difficulties undertaking and maintaining an active lifestyle. With a cross-sectional design, this study explored the role of pain-related worrying and goal preferences in the walking persistence of women with fibromyalgia. The sample included 111 women who attended a tertiary health setting. We adapted the Six-Minute Walk Test where participants decided either to stop or continue walking in five voluntary 6 min bouts. Women who were categorized higher in pain-related worrying reported higher preference for pain avoidance goals (t = −2.44, p = 0.02) and performed worse in the walking task (LongRank = 4.21; p = 0.04). Pain avoidance goal preference increased the likelihood of stopping after the first (OR = 1.443), second (OR = 1.493), and third (OR = 1.540) 6 min walking bout, and the risk of ending the walking activity during the 30 min task (HR = 1.02, [1.0–1.03]). Influence of pain-related worrying on total walking distance was mediated by goal preferences (ab = −3.25). In interventions targeting adherence in physical activity and exercise, special attention is needed for women who are particularly worried about pain to help decrease their preference for short-term pain avoidance goals relative to long-term goals such as being active through walking.
- Published
- 2022