Adjustment to rheumatoid arthritis: the role of social comparison processes

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Abstract
This study examined the role that social comparisons (i.e. comparisons made between oneself and other people) play in terms of how people cope with, and adjust to, rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Social comparison statements were extracted from verbatim transcripts of interviews conducted with 85 RA patients. We found that most patients (72%) made unprompted comparisons. Nearly half of these comparisons involved others not affected by RA. Further, after controlling for differences in physical health status, patients who emphasized their similarity to, rather than their differences from, individuals not affected by RA exhibited better psychological adjustment. These findings suggest that social comparison is a common phenomenon among individuals with RA. Our findings also suggest that the comparisons patients make with nonaffected individuals may play an important role in how they cope with, and adjust to, their illness. Implications of these findings for future research and the development of health education interventions are discussed.

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