Mapping emotional function in fibromyalgia: integrating alexithymia, pain catastrophizing, and self-compassion

Francesca Trunfio, Onorina Berardicurti, Rosa Bruni, Damiano Currado, Barbara Biticchi, Erika Corberi, Francesca Saracino, Lyubomyra Kun, Annalisa Marino, Ludovica Lamberti, Leonardo Frascà, Antonio Orlando, Andrea Pilato, Sebastiano Lorusso, Francesco Cimino, Alessandra Pia Crocitta, Dario Nejat, Lorenzo Fusco, Gianmarco Coluccia, Swathy Jayakrishnan, Irene Genovali, Marta Gatti, Marta Vomero, Vasiliki Liakouli, Roberto Giacomelli, Luca Navarini

Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease

Published online on June 30, 2026

Abstract

Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease, Volume 18, January-December 2026.
Background:Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and cognitive dysfunction. Alexithymia—difficulty identifying and describing emotions—has been reported in up to 48% of ...