title: Disease characteristics, level of self-esteem and psychological well-being in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
abstract: The present study addresses the relationship between early rheumatoid arthritis and an element of personality i.e. the self-esteem, as an intervening variable on psychological well-being. From a sample of 292, more or less recently diagnosed RA-patients, the relationships between disease parameters, self-esteem and psychological well-being were studied. Five subgroups of patients have been formed according to the duration of the disease: from four years disease duration up to incident cases. Disease parameters such as the duration of RA or the sedimentation rate is not associated with patients' self-esteem. The self-esteem of RA-patients is negatively related to the level of joint tenderness. Also, the lower the self-esteem of patients, the lower the level of psychological well-being. Joint tenderness with the patients' level of self-esteem explain 34% of the scoring on psychological well-being.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Krol
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sanderman
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suurmeijer
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Doeglas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Rijswijk
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Leeuwen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D012649:Self Concept