Immunoinflammatory rheumatic diseases: the role of the perception of the disease and coping with it in the psychological adaptation of the patient

Objective: to analyze the subjective perception of the disease, coping behavior and adherence to treatment as parameters of psychological adaptation of patients with immunoinflammatory rheumatic diseases (IIRD).Patients and methods. 163 women with IIRD who were on inpatient treatment were examined: 63 with systemic lupus erythematosus, 50 with rheumatoid arthritis, and 50 with systemic scleroderma. The mean age of the patients was 34.00±17.46 years.Results and discussion. Groups of patients with different types of perception of the disease were identified: "Unformed perception of the disease" (group 1), "Positive perception of disease control" (group 2), "Negative perception of disease threat" (group 3). When comparing the three groups, it was found that in the group with an unformed perception of the disease, negative emotional experiences were less pronounced than in the other two groups. At the same time, the coping strategies "Self-control" and "Problem solving planning" were significantly higher in the group of patients who positively perceived the control of their disease.Conclusion. Psychological adaptation of patients with IIRD depends on the type of perception of the disease. The identification of two basic profiles (“Disease threat perception” and “Disease and treatment control perception”) and three types of disease perception (“Unformed type of disease perception”, “Positive perception of disease control”, “Negative perception of the disease threat”) made it possible to obtain new, more differentiated ideas about the perception of the disease, which is the target of correctional psychological work with patients suffering from IIRD.