In this study, we attempted to identify which background factors were the most important indicators regarding such psychological problems as depression and anxiety in female rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.
Among female RA patients aged 20 and older, who visited the outpatient clinic, and who met the Revised Criteria of the American Rheumatism Association for RA (ARA1987), 101 Class I and II patients were selected as subjects for the present study. Specially designed questionnaires and psychological tests were given to those subjects who had given their written consent for such testing, and a stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis was carried out on the 85 patients who returned all written forms. Those factors affecting psychological problems at a significance level of 5% or less were identified.
It was shown that among sociodemographic factors, "a decrease in the frequency of going out socially after having RA" and "a higher education" worked as significantly associated variables for depression, while "a decrease in the number of friends after having RA" served as a significantly associated variable for trait anxiety. Significantly associated variables for state anxiety included "a decrease in the frequency of going out socially after having RA" and "a willingness to join an RA study group".
The present study demonstrated that factors related to social interactions were significantly associated with depression and anxiety in Class I and II female RA outpatients.