Factors affecting well-being in adults recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

This article examines role stress, key psychosocial variables, and well-being in adults recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Patients recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis must often learn to balance disease and role-related responsibilities. This was cross-sectional, descriptive study ( N = 80). Data were analyzed using correlation coefficients and linear regression models. Participants were predominantly female (78%), married, and employed. Mean age and disease duration were 54.2 years and 24.2 months, respectively. The findings suggest that well-being is influenced by feelings of being self-efficacious and having balance in their roles and less to do with social support received from others.

Health status and self‐management in patients with inflammatory arthritis—A five‐year follow‐up study after nurse‐led patient education

“…Furthermore, the results from this study support the findings from Coty and colleagues (Coty et al, ) showing that psychological or mental well‐being influence patients' self‐efficacy and self‐management (Coty et al, ). In our study, enhanced self‐efficacy was associated with female gender.…”

“…medication compliance) and quality of life (Vallerand et al, ). In the opposite case, patients with less depressed mood and dissatisfaction with life have higher levels of self‐efficacy and role balance (Coty, Salt, Myers, & Abusalem, ). However, lifestyle habits and choices (Bandura, ) do also influence patients' health and well‐being where good self‐management is essential to live good lives.…”

Depression and anxiety after 2 years of follow-up in patients diagnosed with diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis

“…This parental responsibility may be connected to both working capacity and the economic situation and the capacity to run the home, including the physical and emotional ability to function as a parent. This is in line with findings of “role stress,” that is, difficulties in balancing disease-related symptoms coupled to life responsibilities (including the parental role), being associated to depressed mode in RA patients (Coty et al, 2015). …”

Occupational balance and its association with life satisfaction in men and women with rheumatoid arthritis

“…Compared with those participants who rated in the lowest quartile of occupational balance, those who rated above the median had almost six/four (men/women) times the probability to rate themselves as satisfied with life, and those in the highest quartile had almost 15/14 (men/women) times the probability. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the relationship between occupational balance and life satisfaction has been investigated in this population, and the result adds to previous studies about such a relationship in a general population (Wagman & Håkansson, ), as well as a relationship between balancing roles and life satisfaction in people with RA (Coty et al, ). Further studies regarding the association between occupational balance and life satisfaction should be conducted in participants with other characteristics.…”

“…Furthermore, a lower proportion of people with RA than the general population has been shown to be satisfied with life as a whole (Karlsson, Berglin, & Wållberg‐Jonsson, ). As a positive relationship between occupational balance and life satisfaction has been shown in a sample from the general population (Wagman & Håkansson, ), and life satisfaction has been associated with role balance in people with RA (Coty, Salt, Myers, & Abusalem, ), we speculated that people with RA who experience higher occupational balance also have a greater probability of experiencing high life satisfaction. However, further research is needed about occupational balance in this population and about its association to life satisfaction.…”