The relationship between traumatic event experience and prevalence of childhood traumas and alexithymia and traumatic stress symptoms on fibromyalgia patients

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by sensivity and pain in certain areas of the body. Many psychological factors have been identified in the etiology of fibromyalgia. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between childhood traumas, alexithymia, traumatic stress symptoms and fibromyalgia. A total of 150 fibromyalgia patients (109 females) with a mean age of 39 participated in this study. Sociodemographic data form, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Impact of Event Scale and Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire were applied to the participants. As a result of the study, traumatic event experience, alexithymia and childhood traumas were found to affect the levels of fibromyalgia. The findings provide important information in understanding the psychological etiology of fibromyalgia. Key Words: alexithymia, fibromyalgia, traumaticstress, childhoodtraumas