Stress Management for Depression in Female Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to clarify stress management in clinical practice among female rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Subjects and Methods: The subjects were 150 female RA outpatients at rheumatology departments in two Japanese hospitals. We conducted a self-administered, anonymous questionnaire survey（Activities of Daily Living, Patient Assessment VAS, Japanese version of the Depression Self-Rating Scale）and a survey on stress and coping methods during the waiting time of their consultation. After descriptive statistics were performed, we compared the depression self-rating scale between the two groups with and without depressive tendencies.

Results: A total of 145 subjects were analyzed. Eighteen patients（12.4%）showed depressive tendencies, and the group with depressive tendencies showed significantly higher values in activities of daily living（p=0.002）and in patientsʼ general VAS（p=0.015）than group without depressive tendencies. In stress management, the group with depressive tendencies perceived not only illness, work and housework, but also difficulties in a daily life as a stress. Although there was no difference in coping skills between the two groups, the group with depressive tendencies had a significantly lower level of confidence.

Conclusion: Female RA patients coped with stress, including difficulties in daily life, using emotional coping behaviors. Female RA patients who showed depressive tendencies had lower subjective evaluations and lower self-confidence. Healthcare providers need to understand the actual situation of patients and support them in shared decision making by paying attention to their satisfaction and expectations.