title: The importance of enhancing self-efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine relationships among changes in self-efficacy and changes in other clinically relevant outcome measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects (n = 44) were participants in a prospective, randomized stress-management study followed over 15 months. Outcome measures included self-efficacy, depression, pain, health status, and disease activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Correlational analyses revealed significant associations between changes in self-efficacy (particularly total self-efficacy) and changes in selected measures of depression, pain, health status, and disease activity. The observed associations were not due to changes in medication regimen or to nonadherence to the stress-management program.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Evidence is provided that induced changes in self-efficacy following a stress-management program were significantly related to other clinically important outcome measures.
authors.affiliation: University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine, USA
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Smarr
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Stucky-Ropp
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Buckelew
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: F X
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hewett
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012064:Relaxation Therapy / Q000592:standards*; D012648:Self Care; D012649:Self Concept; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*