Illness perceptions among individuals with endometriosis and their longitudinal associations with psychological distress and pain.

Abstract

This study examined the illness perceptions held by individuals living with endometriosis, and their associations with psychological distress and chronic pain, over time. At baseline, 408 participants provided demographic and clinical information and completed measures of illness perceptions, anxiety and depression, and pain. One-year later, 283 of these participants completed the same measures again. Results showed that participants held largely negative perceptions of their endometriosis, perceiving adverse consequences, enduring timeline, and negative emotional representations of their condition. Additionally, participants felt a lack of personal control over the condition. Multiple regression analyses (controlling for demographics, clinical factors, and baseline levels of the outcome variables) showed that illness perceptions do not predict anxiety and depression at 12-month follow-up. However, the perception of illness timeline did significantly predict pain intensity at follow-up.