Limitations in Activities of Daily Living Among Spanish Women Diagnosed With Endometriosis

Importance: Understanding the impact of endometriosis symptoms on patients’ activities of daily living (ADLs) is a priority to establish effective and personalized intervention programs. Objective: To explore limitations in ADLs and instrumental ADLs (IADLs) and their association with pelvic pain (PP), chronic fatigue, and pain-catastrophizing thoughts among women with endometriosis. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Spain. Participants: Two hundred thirty women with endometriosis. Outcomes and Measures: Information regarding performance of ADLs (Barthel Index) and IADLs (Lawton–Brody questionnaire), PP intensity (Numeric Rating Scale), chronic fatigue (Piper Fatigue Scale), and pain-catastrophizing thoughts (Pain Catastrophizing Scale) was gathered. Multivariate regression analyses were created, and mediating effects of fatigue and pain-catastrophizing thoughts on the association between PP and ADL and IADL limitations were assessed. Results: The prevalence of limitations in at least one ADL and one IADL was 22.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] [17.2, 28.1]) and 39.1% (95% CI [32.8, 45.5]), respectively. Limitations in bowel continence, housework, shopping, and meal preparation were reported most frequently. Women reporting severe PP showed higher risk for ADL (odds ratio [OR] = 3.33, 95% CI [1.10, 10.10]) and IADL (OR = 7.99, 95% CI [2.86, 22.34]) limitations. Chronic fatigue and pain-catastrophizing thoughts were also positively related to ADL–IADL limitations, showing a mediating effect on the association between PP and ADL–IADL limitations. Conclusions and Relevance: This study reveals the widespread presence of difficulties in ADL–IADL performance among women with endometriosis, with some symptoms underlying these difficulties in occupational performance. This study points to the need for cost-effective occupational therapy interventions for affected women. What This Article Adds: This research shows that the occupational performance of women with endometriosis is frequently impaired; therefore, the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions should be addressed in the near future.