Biopsychosocial mediators and moderators of stress-health relationships in patients with recently diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the mediating and moderating roles of social support, coping, and physiological variables in the relationship between life events and health status.


METHODS
Psychological and biological measurements were taken in 54 patients (38 women, 16 men, mean age +/- SD 56 +/-14.4 years) with recently diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis (RA).


RESULTS
Life events were correlated with psychological distress, but not with disease activity. No mediators for the relationship of life events with psychological well-being and disease activity were observed. In 40 tests, 4 moderators were found: Problem-focused coping, perceived support, diastolic blood pressure, and total number of lymphocytes were moderators of the relationship between daily hassles and health status (P < or = 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study provides limited support for the notion that the interactions of life stress with biopsychosocial variables have an impact on health. None of these variables were found to be crucial mediators of stress-health associations in recently diagnosed patients with RA, but some provocative evidence was given that biopsychosocial variables may have a minor impact on stress-health relationships.
Dekkers
J C
JC
Georgia Prevention Institute, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, USA.
Geenen
R
R
Evers
A W
AW
Kraaimaat
F W
FW
Bijlsma
J W
JW
Godaert
G L
GL
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D015987:Effect Modifier, Epidemiologic; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural; D008016:Life Change Events; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*