Nazlı ÖLÇÜCÜ, Selkin Yılmaz MULUK
Medical Records - 2026;8(1):1767518-1767518
Aim: Smartphone overuse may worsen pain and disability in fibromyalgia. Health education about potential negative effects of smartphone addiction on fibromyalgia may help decrease this overuse. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between smartphone addiction (SA), and total fibromyalgia impact (TFI) in patients with fibromyalgia, and to assess the effects of health education on decreasing pain and disability. Material and Methods: Study was designed as a randomized controlled trial, and was conducted in the physiatry clinic of a state hospital. Patients were randomized into intervention and control groups and followed for 21 days. 83 patients (42 intervention group mean age 40.36 +/- 6.54 years; 41 control group mean age 40.90 +/- 9.42 years) were included. The intervention group received one-time health education session on negative effects of SA, alongside self-monitoring with an exercise diary. The control group engaged in self-monitoring only, using the same diary. The study compared education plus self-monitoring versus self-monitoring alone. Primary outcomes included SA (measured by the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version, SAS-SV) and TFI (measured by the revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, FIQR) at baseline and on day 21. Secondary outcomes included daily smartphone screen time (DSST) and daily exercise time (DET) tracked during the 20-day period. Results: Young and single fibromyalgia patients exhibited higher SA levels. Both groups showed improvements in DSST, DET, SA, and TFI after 21 day period. Improvements were greater in the intervention group, however between-group differences were not statistically significant. Reductions in SA scores correlated positively with reductions in TFI scores. Self-monitoring with or without patient education, improved SA and TFI. Conclusion: Self-monitoring with physician follow-up was sufficient to promote behavior change. Decreased SA was linked to reduced symptom burden in patients. Findings suggest that self-monitoring may be an underused yet effective behavioral strategy in fibromyalgia care.
