Interpersonal stress, depression, and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis patients.
The relationships among interpersonal stressors, depression, coping inefficiency, hormones (prolactin, cortisol, and estradiol), and disease activity were examined. The sample comprised 33 women with rheumatoid arthritis (RAs; age 37-78) and 37 women with osteoarthritis (OAs; age 47-91), who served as controls. In a regression analysis, interpersonal conflict events accounted for more than twice as much variance in depression in RAs than in OAs. In the RA patients, the immune-stimulating hormones prolactin and estradiol were significantly positively correlated with interpersonal conflicts, depression, coping inefficacy, and clinician ratings of disease activity, suggesting that RAs are more reactive to interpersonal stressors than are OAs, both psychologically and physiologically.
Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe 85287-1104.
A J
AJ
Zautra
M H
MH
Burleson
K S
KS
Matt
S
S
Roth
L
L
Burrows
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D004958:Estradiol; D006854:Hydrocortisone