title: The development of depressive symptoms among women with rheumatoid arthritis. The role of function.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the role of function and functional changes in the development of depressive symptoms among women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from a longitudinal panel study of persons with RA were used. Functional changes were assessed from 1989 to 1991, and depressive symptoms during 1992.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Loss of valued activities was a significant risk factor for the developing depressive symptoms (i.e., score of > or = 7 on the Short Form Geriatric Depression Scale), but overall functional decline was not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The aspect of functional decline that leads to development of depressive symptoms is the loss of valued activities, not simply the functional impairment.
authors: Arthritis Research Group, University of California, San Francisco 94109.
authors: P P
authors: PP
authors: Katz
authors: E H
authors: EH
authors: Yelin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors