Date

12-4-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Natalie Hamrick

Keywords

Fibromyalgia, childhood trauma, attachment to God, adverse childhood experiences

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

Fibromyalgia, also known as Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS), is a condition that causes widespread musculoskeletal pain throughout the body, insomnia, tenderness and inflammation at specific pressure points on the body. This research aimed to explore the relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and FMS symptom severity. In addition, this study examined if attachment to God is a moderator of the relationship between ACEs and FMS symptoms, and if adults with four or more ACEs have higher levels of FMS symptoms than those with three or fewer ACEs. The sample consists of 99 (n = 99) participants diagnosed with FMS recruited online. Participants completed the Adverse Childhood Events questionnaire (ACE-10), the Sim and Loh Attachment to God Scale and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire – revised version (FIRQ) via Qualtrics. It was hypothesized that a higher ACE score would be associated with greater FMS symptom severity, and that attachment to God would function as a protective factor moderated the ACE-FMS relationship. The results indicated a significant positive relationship between ACEs and FMS symptom severity, p = .03 (one-tailed), and attachment to God partially mediated, but did not moderate the relationship between ACEs and FMS symptom severity (p = .346, R2 = .065, N = 99). These findings underscore the relevance of early childhood trauma when evaluating chronic pain outcomes and illustrate how attachment to God can buffer the effects of childhood trauma.

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