Table 1.
Demographics and clinical characteristics of participants.
| Active (N = 15) | Placebo (N = 15) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) (Mean ± SD) | 42.4 (17) | 46.5 (13.8) | 0.52 |
| Gender | |||
| Male; n (%) | 1 (6.7) | 1 (6.7) | NA |
| Female; n (%) | 14 (93.3) | 13 (86.7) | NA |
| Non-Binary; n (%) | 0 (0) | 1 (6.7) | NA |
| Ethnicity | |||
| NZ European; n (%) | 15 (100) | 12 (80) | NA |
| Other (Hispanic (1), Nigerian (1), Scottish (1)); n (%) | 0 (0) | 3 (20) | NA |
| Employment | |||
| Employed; n (%) | 8 (53) | 7 (46.7) | NA |
| Unemployed; n (%) | 2 (13) | 4 (26.7) | NA |
| Retired; n (%) | 2 (13) | 1 (6.7) | NA |
| Looking after family; n (%) | 1 (6.7) | 2 (13) | NA |
| Self-employed; n (%) | 2 (13) | 0 (0) | NA |
| Studying; n (%) | 0 (0) | 1 (6.7) | NA |
| Highest Education | |||
| University degree; n (%) | 3 (20) | 7 (46.7) | NA |
| Trade/Apprenticeship; n (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA |
| Certificate/Diploma; n (%) | 6 (40) | 5 (33) | NA |
| Year 12/equivalent; n (%) | 3 (20) | 1 (6.7) | NA |
| Year 10/equivalent; n (%) | 2 (13) | 1 (6.7) | NA |
| No formal qualification; n (%) | 1 (6.7) | 1 (6.7) | NA |
| Fibromyalgia | |||
| Duration of Symptoms (years) (Mean ± SD) | 14.4 (8.7) | 15.0 (10.6) | 0.64 |
| Time Since Diagnosis (years) (Mean ± SD) | 15.1 (10.6) | 11.0 (11.0) | 0.64 |
| Arthritis | |||
| Presence of Arthritis; n (%) | 3 (20) | 7 (46.7) | NA |
| Primary Clinical Outcome Measures | |||
| RFIQ (Mean ± SD) | 65.4 ± 9.6 | 59.7 ± 19.0 | 0.30 |
| BPI Pain Severity (Mean ± SD) | 5.6 ± 1.1 | 5.4 ± 2.1 | 0.76 |
| BPI Pain Interference (Mean ± SD) | 6.4 ± 1.9 | 6.1 ± 2.2 | 0.63 |
| Secondary Clinical Outcome Measures | |||
| PVAQ (Mean ± SD) | 50.3 ± 10.3 | 47.6 ± 11.8 | 0.51 |
| PCS (Mean ± SD) | 24.9 ± 14.2 | 22.9 ± 16.3 | 0.71 |
| AIMS Physical (Mean ± SD) | 2.2 ± 0.9 | 2.6 ± 1.3 | 0.68 |
| AIMS Affect (Mean ± SD) | 5.9 ± 1.4 | 4.7 ± 1.1 | 0.17 |
| AIMS Symptoms (Mean ± SD) | 5.8 ± 2.0 | 5.5 ± 1.9 | 0.80 |
| AIMS Social Interaction (Mean ± SD) | 4.6 ± 1.4 | 5.2 ± 1.3 | 0.54 |
| AIMS Role (Mean ± SD) | 4.4 ± 0.0 | 2.9 ± 0.0 | ND |
| DASS Stress (Mean ± SD) | 21.1 ± 8.6 | 19.2 ± 10.1 | 0.59 |
| DASS Anxiety (Mean ± SD) | 15.1 ± 9.1 | 17.1 ± 11.3 | 0.58 |
| DASS Depression (Mean ± SD) | 14.1 ± 10.0 | 15.7 ± 10.8 | 0.68 |
| WHO-5 Wellbeing (Mean ± SD) | 27.2 ± 16.9 | 34.4 ± 12.4 | 0.19 |
| EQ-5D Health Status (Mean ± SD) | 33.1 ± 27.0 | 40.6 ± 22.8 | 0.42 |
| EQ-5D Index Score (Mean ± SD) | 15.0 ± 27.8 | 7.0 ± 18.8 | 0.36 |
| MOS Sleep (Mean ± SD) | 56.3 ± 13.3 | 57.6 ± 14.1 | 0.79 |
| MTS (Mean ± SD) | 17.5 ± 19.6 | 17.1 ± 21.9 | 0.96 |
| PPT (Mean ± SD) | 161.8 ± 76.7 | 206.3 ± 120.5 | 0.23 |
RFIQ = Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, BPI = Brief Pain Inventory, PVAQ = Pain Vigilance and Awareness Questionnaire, PCS = Pain Catastrophising Scale, AIMS = Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale, DASS = Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, WHO-5 = World Health Organisation – 5 well-being index, EQ-5D = European Quality of life – 5 Dimensions, MOS = Medical Outcomes Scale, MTS = Mechanical Temporal Summation, PPT = Pressure Pain Threshold. NA: Not applicable; ND: Not determinable due to low sample in each group. The p values are for the between-group statistical comparisons using unpaired students’s t-tests.