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Appraisal and coping in immunologically distinct subgroups of women with rheumatoid arthritis
Author(s) -
Stewart Malcolm W.,
Knight Robert G.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
british journal of health psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 2044-8287
pISSN - 1359-107X
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8287.1997.tb00546.x
Subject(s) - coping (psychology) , clinical psychology , stressor , rheumatoid arthritis , anxiety , psychology , worry , checklist , disease , medicine , psychiatry , immunology , cognitive psychology
Objectives . Previous research has indicated stronger relationships between stress and disease in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who are seronegative (SNRA) for the autoantibodies called rheumatoid factor compared with seropositive RA patients (SPRA). The study compared women with SNRA and SPRA on measures of appraisal and coping responses to general stressors and pain. Design . A cross‐sectional comparison of the patterns of appraisal, coping and affective responses was undertaken with groups of women with either SNRA or SPRA of less than eight years' duration. Data for some measures were collected at an initial interview, and for other measures 18 months later. Methods . Standardized measures (including the Coping Strategies Questionnaire and the Ways of Coping Checklist) and specially developed measures were completed by a sample of female RA patients. Results . The SNRA group reported more negative future expectancies and a higher level of worry about their disease. No differences in coping strategy use were found. The groups were comparable on a wide range of clinical, functional and demographic variables, and standardized depression and general anxiety scales. Conclusions . These results suggest that appraisal processes may be particularly significant for the SNRA group. This may relate to the stronger stress‐disease relationship seen for the SNRA group. The SNRA group may particularly benefit from psychological intervention to assist them to modify the impact of appraisal processes.