Strong evidence was found for interventions categorized for this review as  cognitive – behavioral interventions ; relaxation and stress management ; emotional disclosure ; physical activity ;  and  multidisciplinary interventions for improving daily living , pain , depressive symptoms , and fatigue .
There was limited to no evidence for self-management , and few interventions result ed in better sleep .
Although the evidence supports interventions within the scope of occupational therapy practice for people with fibromyalgia , few interventions were occupation based
This systematic review addresses the effectiveness of occupational therapy – related interventions for adults with fibromyalgia .
Sustained Pain Reduction Through Affective Self-awareness in Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Affect and how it is regulated plays a role in pain perception , maintenance of pain , and its resolution . This r and omized , controlled trial evaluated an innovative affective self-awareness ( ASA ) intervention , which was design ed to reduce pain and improve functioning in individuals with fibromyalgia . PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS Forty-five women with fibromyalgia were r and omized to a  manualized ASA intervention ( n = 24 ) or wait-list control ( n = 21 ) . The intervention began with a one-time physician consultation , followed by 3 weekly , 2-h group sessions based upon a mind-body model of pain . Sessions focused on structured written emotional disclosure and emotional awareness exercises . Outcomes in both conditions were measured by a blinded assessor at baseline , post-intervention , and 6-month follow-up . MEASURES The primary outcome was pain severity ( Brief Pain Inventory ) ; secondary outcomes included tender-point threshold and physical function ( SF-36 Physical Component Summary ) . Intent-to-treat analyses compared groups on outcomes using analysis of covariance and on the proportion of patients achieving ≥30 % and ≥50 % pain reduction at 6 months . RESULTS Adjusting for baseline scores , the intervention group had significantly lower pain severity ( p < 0.001 ) , higher self-reported physical function ( p < 0.001 ) , and higher tender-point threshold ( p = 0.02 ) at 6 months compared to the control group . From baseline to 6 months , 45.8 % of the ASA intervention group had ≥30 % reduction in pain severity , compared to none of the controls ( p < 0.001 ) . CONCLUSIONS The affective self-awareness  intervention improved pain , tenderness , and self-reported physical function for at least 6 months in women with fibromyalgia compared to wait-list control . This study suggests the value of interventions targeting emotional processes in fibromyalgia , although further studies should evaluate the efficacy of this intervention relative to active controls
Strong evidence was found for interventions categorized for this review as  cognitive – behavioral interventions ; relaxation and stress management ; emotional disclosure ; physical activity ;  and  multidisciplinary interventions for improving daily living , pain , depressive symptoms , and fatigue .
There was limited to no evidence for self-management , and few interventions result ed in better sleep .
Although the evidence supports interventions within the scope of occupational therapy practice for people with fibromyalgia , few interventions were occupation based
This systematic review addresses the effectiveness of occupational therapy – related interventions for adults with fibromyalgia .