Psychological variables and quality of life in women with endometriosis

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a common gynecological condition which has been found to have a detrimental impact upon women's quality of life (QoL). This study investigated the impact of pain self-efficacy, health locus of control (HLOC), coping style and illness uncertainty on QoL in women with endometriosis. METHOD: Two hundred and thirty women completed online questionnaires. Standard multiple regressions assessed the relationship between the psychological predictors and QoL. The model accounted for 55, 26, 10 and 32% of the scores in physical, psychological, social and environmental QoL domains, respectively. Pain self-efficacy made the largest unique contribution, followed by illness uncertainty. CONCLUSIONS: Women's perception of their ability to manage their pain and how uncertain they felt about their condition, were important factors in QoL, particularly in the physical domain.