The Effects of Religious Belief Level and Psychological Resilience on the Severity of Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Abstract

Objective: The effects of religiousness, forgiveness, and psychological resilience in patients with fibromyalgia have been investigated with regard to various aspects in the literature. However, there is no study investigating the effects of these concepts collectively in patients with fibromyalgia symptoms.The aim of this study was to investigate whether religious belief, forgiving nature and psychological resilience had any relationship with fibromyalgia symptom burden. Methods: This descriptive study included 49 patients aged between 18–65 years with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) who had applied to the out-patient clinic of the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Department of a University Hospital between 15 December 2019 and 15 April 2020. Results: There were a total of 49 female patients in this study. The mean age of the patients participating in the study was 45.04 ± 9.25 years. Religiousness was found to be significantly associated with some subscales of psychological resilience. Additionally, most subscales of psychological resilience were significantly related with the severity of fibromyalgia. The level of religious belief influenced the relationship between psychological resilience and the severity of fibromyalgia. Conclusion: In this study, it has been found that religious belief and forgiveness levels did not have a direct effect on fibromyalgia symptoms. Most of the subscales of psychological resilience were found to be associated with the severity of fibromyalgia symptoms. It is clear that psychological resilience has an effect on the severity of fibromyalgia symptoms, but further research is needed to assess mechanisms.