Investigating the role of beliefs about emotions, emotional suppression and distress within a pain management programme for fibromyalgia

Introduction: This study aims to explore the relationships between beliefs about emotions, emotional suppression, distress and global impact (i.e. the extent to which a patient’s symptoms impact their life) in a longitudinal design with patients who are taking part in a pain management programme. Methods: A total of 40 participants with fibromyalgia took part in pain management programmes at multiple sites as part of their usual care in the National Health Service. Measures of beliefs about the unacceptability of experiencing and expressing emotions, emotional suppression, distress and global impact were completed before and after the programmes. Results: Beliefs about emotions significantly reduced following treatment, but emotional suppression did not. Changes in beliefs about emotion correlated with changes in emotional suppression. Changes in distress were related to changes in suppression and the relationship between global impact and beliefs about emotions was approaching significance. Conclusion: Emotional suppression and beliefs about emotions may play a role in the improvement in distress following treatment. However, future research should examine these variables as mediators of the effect of treatment compared to waitlist controls in a larger sample.