title: The effect of social network intervention for women with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: A partially-controlled intervention study was performed. Female patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were allocated to three groups: the network intervention group (n = 104), the attention control group (n = 85), and the no-treatment control group (n = 75). The network intervention consisted of an assessment session and a network meeting. Patients were assessed at baseline and approximately 10 and 18 months after the intervention. The network intervention group reported an increase in network size. Daily emotional support increased for the intervention patients compared with patients in the attention control group. The degree of social dysfunction was reduced for patients in the intervention group compared to patients in the no-treatment control group. Furthermore, for single patients, the intervention significantly increased the social network size and improved both social functioning, and perceived overall health, compared to both control groups. The results suggest that the social needs of single patients should be given special attention in clinical settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences in Medicine, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1111, Blindern, N-0317-Oslo, Norway. livef@basalmed.uio.no
authors.forename: Live
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fyrand
authors.forename: Torbjørn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moum
authors.forename: Arnstein
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Finset
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Glennås
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000523:psychology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires