The mediator role of alexithymia between childhood traumas and fibromyalgia impact level of patients with fibromyalgia

Objective: Fibromyalgia is a disease that is associated with childhood traumas. The person’s alexithymic features, such as avoidance of intensely experienced negative emotions or the inability to express their emotions, may cause physical symptoms, particularly fibromyalgia. This study aimed to examine the relationship between fibromyalgia and childhood traumas and alexithymia. Methods: Sample selection was made using the convenience sampling method. A total of 185 patients, 128 females (69.2%) and 57 males (30.8%), diagnosed with fibromyalgia participated in the study. The average age of the participants was 38.6, ranging from 18 to 65 years. The study was designed with relational screening and convenience sampling method. Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and socio-demographic data form were applied to the participants. The SPSS 25 program was used to examine the acquired data. Independent samples t-test, Pearson correlation analysis, and one way ANOVA were used. Results: Results showed that childhood traumas and alexithymia predicted the effect level of fibromyalgia (49%), and alexithymia played a partial mediator role (8%) between childhood traumas and fibromyalgia impact level. It has been observed that emotional abuse (p