• 1 June 1988
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 15  (6) , 926-931
Abstract
The hypothesis that the duration and activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) determine a patient''s psychological state and adjustment was tested with a longitudinal research design using quantitative measures. A group of 30 patients with RA was examined on 2 occasions, 3 years apart. There were few significant relationships between duration of illness, disease severity and the psychological measures. A strong correlation occurred between disability and attitude to illness. Our data suggest that a patient''s psychological state needs to be assessed as a variable, independent of physical impairment.