Cited by 49Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ResearchMindfulness and Compassion InterventionsPsychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments

Mindfulness is associated with psychological health and moderates the impact of fibromyalgia

Open access
Pleman, Brandon, Park, Michelle, Han, Xingyi, Price, Lori Lyn, Bannuru, Raveendhara R., Harvey, William F., Driban, Jeffrey B., Wang, Chenchen·2019·Clinical Rheumatology

Abstract

Objective: Previous studies suggest mindfulness is associated with pain and depression. However, its impact in individuals with fibromyalgia remains unclear. We examined associations between mindfulness and physical and psychological symptoms, pain interference, and quality of life in fibromyalgia patients. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis on baseline data from a fibromyalgia clinical trial. Mindfulness was assessed using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Pearson’s correlations and multivariable linear regression models were used to evaluate associations between mindfulness and fibromyalgia impact, pain interference, physical function, depression, anxiety, stress, self-efficacy, and health-related quality of life. We also examined whether mindfulness moderated associations between fibromyalgia impact and psychological outcomes. Results: A total of 177 participants (age 52.0 ± 12.2 (SD) years; 93.2% women; 58.8% white; body mass index 30.1 ± 6.7 kg/m2; FFMQ score 131.3 ± 20.7; Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire score 57.0 ± 19.4) were included. Higher total mindfulness was significantly associated with lower fibromyalgia impact (r = − 0.25), pain interference (r = − 0.31), stress (r = − 0.56), anxiety (r = − 0.58), depression (r = − 0.54), and better mental health-related quality of life (r = 0.57). Describing, Acting-with-awareness, and Non-judging facets of mindfulness were also associated with these outcomes. Mindfulness moderated the effect of fibromyalgia impact on anxiety (interaction P = 0.01). Conclusion: Higher mindfulness is associated with less pain interference, lower impact of fibromyalgia, and better psychological health and quality of life in people with fibromyalgia. Mindfulness moderates the influence of fibromyalgia impact on anxiety, suggesting mindfulness may alter how patients cope with fibromyalgia. Future studies should assess how mind-body therapies aiming to cultivate mindfulness may impact the well-being of patients with fibromyalgia. Key points: • Higher mindfulness was associated with better psychological health and lower overall impact of fibromyalgia. • Mindfulness moderated the relationship between overall fibromyalgia impact and anxiety. © 2019, International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR).

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1007/s10067-019-04436-1

Cites

45 of 45 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

22 of 57 cited sources checked · 12 supported · 1 flagged · accuracy not yet measured

  • Premisecitation

    In clinical and community groups, including chronic pain patients, greater mindfulness is linked to better physical and psychological outcomes.

    “Higher levels of mindfulness are associated with better physical and psychological outcomes in clinical and community populations, including in patients with chronic pain,4–10”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim2 of 7 sources checked
    • cites [4] Schütze R, Rees C, Preece M, Schütze M (2010) Low mindfulness predicts pain catastrophizing in a fear-avoidance model of chronic pain. Pain 148:120–127 source
    • cites [5] Baer RA, Smith GT, Lykins E, Button D, Krietemeyer J, Sauer S et al (2008) Construct validity of the five facet mindfulness questionnaire in meditating and nonmeditating samples. Assessment 15:329–342 source
    • cites [6] Bränström R, Duncan LG, Moskowitz JT (2011) The association between dispositional mindfulness, psychological well-being, and perceived health in a Swedish population-based sample. Br J Health Psychol 16:300–316 source

      The paper’s Abstract Conclusions and Discussion link greater dispositional mindfulness with well-being and perceived health in a Swedish population-based sample. The Discussion also summarizes benefits of mindfulness interventions for people with physical diseases, but that is different from an association between higher mindfulness and better outcomes in clinical groups. Our copy does not establish the claim specifically for chronic pain patients (searched: “chronic pain”). No page numbers were available in the indexed passages. (LLM, conf=0.86)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
    • cites [7] Bränström R, Kvillemo P, Brandberg Y, Moskowitz JT (2010) Self-report mindfulness as a mediator of psychological well-being in a stress reduction intervention for cancer patients--a randomized study. Ann Behav Med 39:151–161 source
    • cites [8] Lee AC, Harvey WF, Price LL, Morgan LPK, Morgan NL, Wang C (2017) Mindfulness is associated with psychological health and moderates pain in knee osteoarthritis. Osteoarthr Cartil 25:824–831 source

      The Results (page unavailable) associate higher mindfulness with better mental and physical quality-of-life scores, less depression and stress, and greater self-efficacy in patients with knee osteoarthritis. They find no significant association with pain or physical function. The paper does not establish the broader claim for community populations. (LLM, conf=0.88)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
    • cites [9] Poulin PA, Romanow HC, Rahbari N, Small R, Smyth CE, Hatchard T et al (2016) The relationship between mindfulness, pain intensity, pain catastrophizing, depression, and quality of life among cancer survivors living with chronic neuropathic pain. Support Care Cancer 24:4167–4175 source
    • cites [10] van Son J, Nyklíček I, Nefs G, Speight J, Pop VJ, Pouwer F (2015) The association between mindfulness and emotional distress in adults with diabetes: could mindfulness serve as a buffer? Results from Diabetes MILES: the Netherlands. J Behav Med 38:251–260 source
  • Premisecitation

    The five facets of mindfulness have different relationships with health outcomes.

    “These facets of mindfulness differ in their associations with health outcomes.4–10,13–17”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim5 of 10 sources checked
    • cites [4] Schütze R, Rees C, Preece M, Schütze M (2010) Low mindfulness predicts pain catastrophizing in a fear-avoidance model of chronic pain. Pain 148:120–127 source
    • cites [5] Baer RA, Smith GT, Lykins E, Button D, Krietemeyer J, Sauer S et al (2008) Construct validity of the five facet mindfulness questionnaire in meditating and nonmeditating samples. Assessment 15:329–342 source
    • cites [6] Bränström R, Duncan LG, Moskowitz JT (2011) The association between dispositional mindfulness, psychological well-being, and perceived health in a Swedish population-based sample. Br J Health Psychol 16:300–316 source
    • cites [7] Bränström R, Kvillemo P, Brandberg Y, Moskowitz JT (2010) Self-report mindfulness as a mediator of psychological well-being in a stress reduction intervention for cancer patients--a randomized study. Ann Behav Med 39:151–161 source
    • cites [8] Lee AC, Harvey WF, Price LL, Morgan LPK, Morgan NL, Wang C (2017) Mindfulness is associated with psychological health and moderates pain in knee osteoarthritis. Osteoarthr Cartil 25:824–831 source
    • cites [9] Poulin PA, Romanow HC, Rahbari N, Small R, Smyth CE, Hatchard T et al (2016) The relationship between mindfulness, pain intensity, pain catastrophizing, depression, and quality of life among cancer survivors living with chronic neuropathic pain. Support Care Cancer 24:4167–4175 source
    • cites [10] van Son J, Nyklíček I, Nefs G, Speight J, Pop VJ, Pouwer F (2015) The association between mindfulness and emotional distress in adults with diabetes: could mindfulness serve as a buffer? Results from Diabetes MILES: the Netherlands. J Behav Med 38:251–260 source
    • cites [13] Curtis K, Osadchuk A, Katz J (2011) An eight-week yoga intervention is associated with improvements in pain, psychological functioning and mindfulness, and changes in cortisol levels in women with fibromyalgia. J Pain Res 4:189–201 source
    • cites [14] Desrosiers A, Klemanski DH, Nolen-Hoeksema S (2013) Mapping mindfulness facets onto dimensions of anxiety and depression. Behav Ther 44:373–384 source
    • cites [15] Jones KD, Mist SD, Casselberry MA, Ali A, Christopher MS (2015) Fibromyalgia impact and mindfulness characteristics in 4986 people with fibromyalgia. Explor J Sci Health 11:304–309 source
  • Findingcitation

    The study sample had higher average total FFMQ scores than other community and clinical samples.

    “Our sample had higher average total Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) scores than other community and clinical samples in studies that measured FFMQ5,7,10,13,15,17”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim2 of 6 sources checked
    • cites [5] Baer RA, Smith GT, Lykins E, Button D, Krietemeyer J, Sauer S et al (2008) Construct validity of the five facet mindfulness questionnaire in meditating and nonmeditating samples. Assessment 15:329–342 source
    • cites [7] Bränström R, Kvillemo P, Brandberg Y, Moskowitz JT (2010) Self-report mindfulness as a mediator of psychological well-being in a stress reduction intervention for cancer patients--a randomized study. Ann Behav Med 39:151–161 source
    • cites [10] van Son J, Nyklíček I, Nefs G, Speight J, Pop VJ, Pouwer F (2015) The association between mindfulness and emotional distress in adults with diabetes: could mindfulness serve as a buffer? Results from Diabetes MILES: the Netherlands. J Behav Med 38:251–260 source
    • cites [13] Curtis K, Osadchuk A, Katz J (2011) An eight-week yoga intervention is associated with improvements in pain, psychological functioning and mindfulness, and changes in cortisol levels in women with fibromyalgia. J Pain Res 4:189–201 source
    • cites [15] Jones KD, Mist SD, Casselberry MA, Ali A, Christopher MS (2015) Fibromyalgia impact and mindfulness characteristics in 4986 people with fibromyalgia. Explor J Sci Health 11:304–309 source

      The Methods (Measures; page not available) confirm that this was a clinical sample assessed with the FFMQ. The Results report FFMQ subscale scores, but our copy gives no average total FFMQ score or comparison with the citing study’s sample, so it does not establish the claimed higher total score. (LLM, conf=0.80)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
    • cites [17] Veehof MM, Oskam MJ, Schreurs KMG, Bohlmeijer ET (2011) Acceptance-based interventions for the treatment of chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pain 152:533–542 source
  • Findingcitation

    The study sample had lower fibromyalgia impact scores than participants in two online fibromyalgia studies.

    “also had lower fibromyalgia impact scores than participants in two online fibromyalgia studies.15,44”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim2 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [15] Jones KD, Mist SD, Casselberry MA, Ali A, Christopher MS (2015) Fibromyalgia impact and mindfulness characteristics in 4986 people with fibromyalgia. Explor J Sci Health 11:304–309 source
    • cites [44] Davis MC, Zautra AJ (2013) An online mindfulness intervention targeting socioemotional regulation in fibromyalgia: results of a randomized controlled trial. Ann Behav Med 46:273–284 source
  • Findingown data

    No facet of mindfulness was significantly associated with the physical component of quality of life.

    “No facets of mindfulness were associated with the Patient’s Global Assessment, physical component of quality of life, and the 6-minute walking test.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 20
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 1
  • May combine two claims. 8
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    The Describing, Acting-with-awareness, and Non-judging facets tend to show similar positive associations with psychological health.

    “The Describing, Acting-with-awareness, and Non-judging facets are often similarly associated with better psychological health.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim5 of 10 sources checked
    • cites [4] Schütze R, Rees C, Preece M, Schütze M (2010) Low mindfulness predicts pain catastrophizing in a fear-avoidance model of chronic pain. Pain 148:120–127 source
    • cites [5] Baer RA, Smith GT, Lykins E, Button D, Krietemeyer J, Sauer S et al (2008) Construct validity of the five facet mindfulness questionnaire in meditating and nonmeditating samples. Assessment 15:329–342 source
    • cites [6] Bränström R, Duncan LG, Moskowitz JT (2011) The association between dispositional mindfulness, psychological well-being, and perceived health in a Swedish population-based sample. Br J Health Psychol 16:300–316 source

      The Results section (page not provided) says acting with awareness and non-reactivity had the strongest associations with all measured outcomes, while non-judging was associated only with anxiety and describing with positive states of mind. The Discussion likewise says the facets differed in their associations, contrary to the claim that the three named facets were similarly associated with better psychological health. (LLM, conf=0.88)

      Checked by a reasoning model — may be wrong.

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
    • cites [7] Bränström R, Kvillemo P, Brandberg Y, Moskowitz JT (2010) Self-report mindfulness as a mediator of psychological well-being in a stress reduction intervention for cancer patients--a randomized study. Ann Behav Med 39:151–161 source
    • cites [8] Lee AC, Harvey WF, Price LL, Morgan LPK, Morgan NL, Wang C (2017) Mindfulness is associated with psychological health and moderates pain in knee osteoarthritis. Osteoarthr Cartil 25:824–831 source
    • cites [9] Poulin PA, Romanow HC, Rahbari N, Small R, Smyth CE, Hatchard T et al (2016) The relationship between mindfulness, pain intensity, pain catastrophizing, depression, and quality of life among cancer survivors living with chronic neuropathic pain. Support Care Cancer 24:4167–4175 source
    • cites [10] van Son J, Nyklíček I, Nefs G, Speight J, Pop VJ, Pouwer F (2015) The association between mindfulness and emotional distress in adults with diabetes: could mindfulness serve as a buffer? Results from Diabetes MILES: the Netherlands. J Behav Med 38:251–260 source
    • cites [13] Curtis K, Osadchuk A, Katz J (2011) An eight-week yoga intervention is associated with improvements in pain, psychological functioning and mindfulness, and changes in cortisol levels in women with fibromyalgia. J Pain Res 4:189–201 source

      The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire section names all three facets and says that its subscales correlate with aspects of psychological functioning. It gives a positive association for Describing, but does not establish positive associations for Acting with awareness and Non-judging or show that the three are similarly associated with psychological health. The Results section reports improvement in Describing, not a comparison of those associations. (LLM, conf=0.82)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
    • cites [14] Desrosiers A, Klemanski DH, Nolen-Hoeksema S (2013) Mapping mindfulness facets onto dimensions of anxiety and depression. Behav Ther 44:373–384 source
    • cites [15] Jones KD, Mist SD, Casselberry MA, Ali A, Christopher MS (2015) Fibromyalgia impact and mindfulness characteristics in 4986 people with fibromyalgia. Explor J Sci Health 11:304–309 source

      The Discussion (page unavailable) reports that greater fibromyalgia impact was associated with lower scores on Describing, Acting with Awareness, and Non-judging; the Results characterize the facet correlations as small to medium. This supports a shared direction of association in people with fibromyalgia, but the paper measures fibromyalgia impact rather than psychological health generally and does not establish that the three associations are similar in strength or occur often across settings. (LLM, conf=0.84)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductcitation

    Fibromyalgia impact was assessed with the validated 21-item Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR).

    “The FIQR is a 21-item, validated self-report instrument that assesses function, overall impact, and symptoms over the past seven days.22”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [22] Bennett RM, Friend R, Jones KD, Ward R, Han BK, Ross RL (2009) The Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR): validation and psychometric properties. Arthritis Res Ther 11:R120 source
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductcitation

    The Patient's Global Assessment is a common tool for assessing rheumatic conditions.

    “This is a common tool for assessment of rheumatic conditions.25,26”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [25] Anderson J, Caplan L, Yazdany J, Robbins ML, Neogi T, Michaud K et al (2012) Rheumatoid arthritis disease activity measures: American College of Rheumatology recommendations for use in clinical practice. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 64:640–647 source

      The Discussion describes Patient’s Global Assessment (PtGA) as a component of several rheumatoid arthritis disease-activity measures, and reports that surveyed ACR members rated it highly feasible for clinical practice. That supports its use in rheumatoid arthritis, but the paper does not establish that PtGA is commonly used across rheumatic conditions more broadly. The Discussion’s statement about use beyond rheumatoid arthritis concerns RAPID-3, not PtGA specifically. (LLM, conf=0.82)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
    • cites [26] Hawker GA, Mian S, Kendzerska T, French M (2011) Measures of adult pain: Visual Analog Scale for pain (VAS pain), Numeric Rating Scale for pain (NRS pain), McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), Chronic Pain Grade Scale (CPGS), Short Form-36 Bodily Pain Scale (SF). Arthritis Care Res 63. https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.20543 source
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductcitation

    Pain interference was assessed with the highly reliable PROMIS Adult Short Form: Pain Interference version 1.0.

    “PROMIS-Pain Interference measures the extent to which pain interferes with a patient’s physical, mental, emotional, and social activities in the past seven days and is highly reliable.23”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [23] Amtmann D, Cook KF, Jensen MP, Chen WH, Choi S, Revicki D et al (2010) Development of a PROMIS item bank to measure pain interference. Pain 150:173–182 source

      The Introduction defines pain interference in terms of physical, mental, and social activities; Methods specifies a seven-day recall period and describes items addressing emotional aspects of pain. The Results and Discussion find PROMIS-PI bank scores highly reliable over a substantial T-score range, but less reliable at the extremes. They do not establish the reliability of the specifically named Adult Short Form version 1.0. (LLM, conf=0.85)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductcitation

    Mindfulness was assessed with the validated 39-item Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ).

    “Mindfulness was measured by the FFMQ, a validated 39-question instrument that assesses overall mindfulness as well as its five subscales (Observing, Describing, Acting-with-awareness, Non-judging, and Non-reactivity) on a 5-point Likert scale where higher scores reflect higher mindfulness.5,11,17”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 3 sources checked
    • cites [5] Baer RA, Smith GT, Lykins E, Button D, Krietemeyer J, Sauer S et al (2008) Construct validity of the five facet mindfulness questionnaire in meditating and nonmeditating samples. Assessment 15:329–342 source
    • cites [11] Baer RA, Smith GT, Hopkins J, Krietemeyer J, Toney L (2006) Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment 13:27–45 source

      Participants and Procedures (p. 10) identifies the FFMQ as a 39-item questionnaire using a 5-point scale, and Deriving Mindfulness Facets (p. 10) describes its five subscales. But the General Discussion (p. 17) says it requires extensive additional validation. Results (p. 12) also found that the five facets did not all load on an overall mindfulness factor in the independent student sample, so the unqualified claims of validation and an overall mindfulness score overstate this source. (LLM, conf=0.88)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
    • cites [17] Veehof MM, Oskam MJ, Schreurs KMG, Bohlmeijer ET (2011) Acceptance-based interventions for the treatment of chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pain 152:533–542 source
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductcitation

    The Symptom Severity Scale is a widely used two-part measure of fibromyalgia-related symptoms.

    “The Symptom Severity Scale (SS) is a widely-used, two-part instrument that enables assessment of fibromyalgia-related symptoms over the past week.20”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [20] Wolfe F, Clauw DJ, Fitzcharles MA, Goldenberg DL, Katz RS, Mease P et al (2010) The American College of Rheumatology preliminary diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia and measurement of symptom severity. Arthritis Care Res 62:600–610 source

      Table 4 (Discussion; page unavailable) describes two scoring parts: severity ratings for three symptoms over the past week, plus a rating of somatic symptoms in general. The paper establishes the SS scale as a measure of fibromyalgia symptom severity, but presents it as newly created and does not establish that it is widely used. (LLM, conf=0.86)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Mindfulness is considered to have five separate facets: Observing, Describing, Acting-with-awareness, Non-judging, and Non-reacting.

    “Mindfulness has recently been characterized to be composed of five distinct dimensions: Observing, Describing, Acting-with-awareness, Non-judging, and Non-reacting.11,12”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [11] Baer RA, Smith GT, Hopkins J, Krietemeyer J, Toney L (2006) Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment 13:27–45 source
    • cites [12] Marikar Bawa FL, Mercer SW, Atherton RJ, Clague F, Keen A, Scott NW et al (2015) Does mindfulness improve outcomes in patients with chronic pain? Systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Gen Pract 65:e387–e400 source
  • The quote only partly states this claim.

    Findingown data

    Greater overall mindfulness was significantly associated with better mental health-related quality of life (r = 0.57, P < 0.001).

    “better mental component of quality of life (r = 0.57, P < 0.001)”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    The Acting-with-awareness facet of mindfulness was associated with fibromyalgia impact, pain interference, stress, anxiety, depression, and mental health-related quality of life.

    “Describing, Acting-with-awareness, and Non-judging facets of mindfulness were also associated with these outcomes.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    The Describing facet of mindfulness was associated with fibromyalgia impact, pain interference, stress, anxiety, depression, and mental health-related quality of life.

    “Describing, Acting-with-awareness, and Non-judging facets of mindfulness were also associated with these outcomes.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    The Non-judging facet of mindfulness was associated with fibromyalgia impact, pain interference, stress, anxiety, depression, and mental health-related quality of life.

    “Describing, Acting-with-awareness, and Non-judging facets of mindfulness were also associated with these outcomes.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    The various symptoms of fibromyalgia together produce greater overall severity than each symptom alone.

    “These diverse symptoms synergistically create greater overall symptom severity than individual symptoms would alone.3”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [3] Sephton SE, Paul S, Weissbecker I, Ulmer C, Floyd A, Hoover K et al (2007) Mindfulness meditation alleviates depressive symptoms in women with fibromyalgia: results of a randomized clinical trial. Arthritis Rheum 57:77–85 source
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductnone given

    No correction for multiple testing was applied.

    “No correction was made for multiple testing.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductcitation

    The 36-Item Short Form Health Survey has well-documented psychometric properties, high internal consistency, and validity across groups with different levels of ill-health.

    “The SF-36 has high internal consistency of domains and is valid in groups reporting different levels of ill-health.33”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [32] McHorney CA, Ware JE, Rachel Lu JF, Sherbourne CD (1994) The MOS 36-ltem Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36): III. Tests of data quality, scaling assumptions, and reliability across diverse patient groups. Med Care 32:40–66 source
    • cites [33] Jenkinson C, Wright L, Coulter A (1994) Criterion validity and reliability of the SF-36 in a population sample. Qual Life Res 3:7–12 source
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductown data

    Multivariable analyses were adjusted for age, gender, race, BMI, and education.

    “Analyses were controlled for age, gender, race, body mass index (BMI), and education.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductcitation

    The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale is a validated 14-item self-report measure of anxiety and depression.

    “The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a validated, 14-question, self-report inventory that measures levels of anxiety and depression with separate 7-question subscales.28,29”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [28] Härter M, Reuter K, Gross-Hardt K, Bengel J (2001) Screening for anxiety, depressive and somatoform disorders in rehabilitation--validity of HADS and GHQ-12 in patients with musculoskeletal disease. Disabil Rehabil 23:737–744 source
    • cites [29] Zigmond AS, Snaith RP (1983) The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Acta Psychiatr Scand 67:361–370 source
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductcitation

    The Perceived Stress Scale is an internally reliable and widely used measure of perceived stress.

    “The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is an internally reliable, widely-used inventory used to measure perceptions of stress.27”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [27] Cohen S, Kamarck T, Mermelstein R (1983) A global measure of perceived stress. J Health Soc Behav 24:385 source
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductcitation

    The 6-minute walking test is an accepted measure of physical functional ability.

    “The 6-minute walking test is an accepted measure of physical functional ability.36”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [36] Harada ND, Chiu V, Stewart AL (1999) Mobility-related function in older adults: assessment with a 6-minute walk test. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 80:837–841 source
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductnone given

    Model diagnostics were performed to identify potential influential points.

    “Model diagnostics were performed to identify potential influential points.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductcitation

    The Coping Strategies Questionnaire is a well-validated 7-item self-report measure of pain coping strategies.

    “The Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ) is a 7-item, well-validated, self-report scale used to assess the use of pain coping mechanisms through seven subscales – one behavioral and six cognitive – scored from 0 to 6, where higher scores indicate better coping strategies.30,31”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [30] Burckhardt CS, Henriksson C (2001) The coping strategies questionnaire–Swedish version: evidence of reliability and validity in patients with fibromyalgia. Scand J Behav Ther 30:97–107 source
    • cites [31] Rosenstiel AK, Keefe FJ (1983) The use of coping strategies in chronic low back pain patients: relationship to patient characteristics and current adjustment. Pain 17:33–44 source
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductcitation

    Self-efficacy was assessed with the validated 8-item Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale.

    “Participants’ confidence in their ability to manage their fibromyalgia symptoms was assessed using the validated 8-item Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES-8).35”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [35] Lorig K, Chastain RL, Ung E, Shoor S, Holman HR (1989) Development and evaluation of a scale to measure perceived self-efficacy in people with arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 32:37–44 source
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductnone given

    Model assumptions and appropriateness were examined graphically and analytically.

    “Model assumptions and appropriateness were examined graphically and analytically.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data

    In people with fibromyalgia, higher mindfulness is associated with less pain interference, lower fibromyalgia impact, and better psychological health and quality of life.

    “Higher mindfulness is associated with less pain interference, lower impact of fibromyalgia, and better psychological health and quality of life in people with fibromyalgia.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: There are no currently recommended treatments that effectively manage the multidimensional symptoms of fibromyalgia.
    • Rests on an assumption: This is the first study to investigate mindfulness in relation to pain interference, physical function, psychological health, and quality of life among people with fibromyalgia.
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    Despite differences from other samples, the participants were representative of fibromyalgia patients likely to be seen in a clinical setting.

    “Despite these differences, the participants were representative of fibromyalgia patients likely to be encountered in a clinical setting.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductreasoning

    The parent trial was not designed to test the validation of the FFMQ, and the right variables were not collected.

    “our parent trial was not designed to test the validation of FFMQ and the right variables were not collected.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    Patients with higher mindfulness may cope better with high levels of fibromyalgia impact, leading to better psychological symptoms.

    “This finding indicates that patients with higher mindfulness may better cope with high levels of overall fibromyalgia impact, leading to better psychological symptoms.38”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [38] Bergomi C, Ströhle G, Michalak J, Funke F, Berking M (2013) Facing the dreaded: does mindfulness facilitate coping with distressing experiences? A moderator analysis. Cogn Behav Ther 42:21–30 source
26 of 26
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    There are no currently recommended treatments that effectively manage the multidimensional symptoms of fibromyalgia.

    “No treatments are currently recommended for effectively managing these multidimensional symptoms of fibromyalgia.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    No prior study has examined whether mindfulness moderates psychological outcomes in fibromyalgia.

    “However, no study has investigated mindfulness as a moderator of psychological outcomes in fibromyalgia.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    This is the first study to investigate mindfulness in relation to pain interference, physical function, psychological health, and quality of life among people with fibromyalgia.

    “This is the first study to examine the role of mindfulness in pain interference, physical function, psychological health outcomes, and overall quality of life of individuals with fibromyalgia.”
3 of 3

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Negative correlation conflicts with the claim of better coping

    Minor

    The reported negative correlation means higher mindfulness is associated with lower coping-strategy scores. The paper defines higher scores as better coping, so this conflicts with its description of better coping skills.

1 of 1

Cites

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Cited by

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Authors
Pleman, B., Park, M., Han, X., Price, L. L., Bannuru, R. R., Harvey, W. F., Driban, J. B., & Wang, C.
Affiliations
Tufts University (US)
Corresponding author
Wang, Chenchen
Venue
Clinical Rheumatology
Published
2019-01-14
Volume
38
Issue
6
Pages
1737-1745
ISSN
  • 0770-3198 (ISSN-L)
  • 1434-9949
OpenAlex
W2909824044
Cited by
49
References
45
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 4
FWCI
4.37
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Clinical Rheumatology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (R01AT006367, K24AT007323, K23AT009374)
  • National Center for Research Resources (UL1RR025752)
  • National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (UL1TR000073, UL1TR001064)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
Keywords
mindfulness, fibromyalgia, pain interference, health-related quality of life, mental health, anxiety, depression, stress, self-efficacy, physical function, fibromyalgia impact, moderation, mind-body interventions, Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire
MeSH terms
Patient Reported Outcome Measures, Adult, Anxiety, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depression, Female, Fibromyalgia, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Quality of Life, Surveys and Questionnaires, Multivariate Analysis, Linear Models, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Self Efficacy, Tai Ji, Mindfulness

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Claims read under definition version 3 (extract-v3) on 2026-09-28.

Classified by jev-1.13-20260917 (gold-guideline-v0.2) on 2026-09-28.

Cited sources are checked by gpt-6-sol.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

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