Which facets of emotion dysregulation are uniquely associated with emotional allodynia in fibromyalgia? A preliminary analysis..., 2026,Corriero et al

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Which facets of emotion dysregulation are uniquely associated with emotional allodynia in fibromyalgia? A preliminary analysis using the emotional allodynia questionnaire and the difficulties in emotion regulation scale

Corriero, Alberto; Giglio, Mariateresa; Pilolla, Alfonso; Galdini, Filomena; Fornarelli, Fara; Venosa, Cinzia Di; Costantino, Elisabetta; Orsi, Daniela De; Varrassi, Giustino; Trerotoli, Paolo; Puntillo, Filomena

Abstract
Background Emotional allodynia, a condition in which neutral or low-intensity interpersonal stimuli provoke disproportionate emotional distress, has been proposed as a clinically relevant feature of fibromyalgia. The Emotional Allodynia Questionnaire (AEQ) was recently preliminarily validated and showed a strong association with emotion dysregulation as measured by the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS).

However, which specific DERS facets underlie emotional allodynia, independently of depression, anxiety, pain catastrophizing and central sensitization, remains unknown. Methods Cross-sectional data from 136 adults with fibromyalgia (91.9% female; mean age 57.6 ± 11.3 years) were analyzed.

AEQ total score was examined against each DERS subscale (Non-Acceptance, Goals, Impulse, Awareness, Strategies, Clarity) using Spearman correlations, partial correlations controlling for BDI-II, STAI-Y2, PCS and CSI, and hierarchical linear regression with incremental R 2 .

Results At zero order, five subscales correlated with AEQ with the exception of Awareness. After controlling for all covariates, Impulse (ρ_partial = 0.286, p = 0.001), Strategies (ρ_partial = 0.245, p = 0.005), Non-Acceptance (ρ_partial = 0.220, p = 0.011) and Clarity (ρ_partial = 0.201, p = 0.021) remained significantly associated with AEQ, and each contributed incremental variance above the base model (ΔR 2 = 0.019–0.038, p < 0.05). Awareness was not significant.

Conclusion Emotional allodynia in fibromyalgia is associated with loss of behavioral control (Impulse), limited confidence in emotion regulation (Strategies), non-acceptance and difficulty identifying emotional states (Clarity), but not reduced attention to emotional states (Awareness), suggesting emotions that are noticed but difficult to identify and regulate, with implications for targeted psychological treatments.

Web | DOI | PMC | PDF | Frontiers in Psychology
 
Interesting over emphasis on the behavioral outcomes of high pain levels. Dependent, in my personal experience, on the level of pain. The higher the pain, the less emotional self-regulation.

Pretty obvious. Is this new term necessary?

I would just say that high pain levels cause emotional distress. No need to make a career out of it. Though the brain science is nice.

Here there are the familiar fumes of doctors complaining of the emotionality of FM which they've been voicing for decades.

The psychs could use the term "emotional allodynia" to massage their theory that FM is caused by inherent psych factors and is perpetuated by them.
 
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shak8 said:
Interesting over emphasis on the behavioral outcomes of high pain levels. Dependent, in my personal experience, on the level of pain. The higher the pain, the less emotional self-regulation.

Pretty obvious. Is this new term necessary?
Click to expand...
I find this with PEM too. When things are really bad I'm an emotional wreck. Is that particularly surprising? There is this expectation of stoicism in psychiatry and medicine that seems really counter to the reality of how illness affects people, and leads to this kind of stuff.
 
shak8 said:
The psychs could use the term "emotional allodynia" to massage their theory that FM is caused by inherent psych factors and is perpetuated by them.
Click to expand...

Isn't the belief here that a normal person should be able to bear the pain without being emotionally affected?

That's not how it works when the pain is intense and chronic. The patient has no choice in it.
 
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Hoopoe said:
Isn't the belief here that a normal person should be able to bear the pain without being emotionally affected?

That's not how it works when the pain is intense and chronic. The patient has no choice in it.
Click to expand...

They don't seem to be talking about FM pain here though... Going by the abstract, haven't read the paper, their definition: "Emotional allodynia, a condition in which neutral or low-intensity interpersonal stimuli provoke disproportionate emotional distress" (my italics)

Is emotional distress at "interpersonal stimuli" a known feature of FM? I'm not familiar with the criteria for FM at all, but seems to me if you are in physical pain your tolerance for all kind of other normally tolerated stimuli would go down? I definitely find that with period pain anyway, and it would be worse if it dragged on for hours and days and was chronic. The issue is the pain... everything else follows on.
 
My read of the abstract is that they are saying that people diagnosed with fibromyalgia are hyper-reactive emotionally (neutral or low-intensity interpersonal stimuli provoke disproportionate emotional distress) and they should be in psychological therapy which could be guided by this publication.

they also state (my bolding),

"Given the exploratory framing of the study, no correction for multiple comparisons was applied, and findings should be interpreted accordingly. Because all measures were self-reported within a single session, the associations may also reflect common method variance and generalized negative affectivity."
 
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