Coping with arthritis. Current status and critique

Our understanding of the complex role of coping in the psychological adjustment to arthritis has improved over the past decade. Studies have consistently demonstrated a relationship between certain coping strategies and psychological outcomes. However, unresolved problems in the methodology and theory concerning these studies cloud the picture, limiting the conclusions that can be drawn. There are general problems with the ways in which coping has been conceptualized and measured by researchers evaluating stress and coping, and there are problems more specific to the ways coping concepts and measures have been used to study patients with arthritis. A complete understanding of the relationship between coping and mental health in this population would have important theoretical and clinical implications. Such studies would serve as a model for investigations of stress and coping in patients with other illnesses, and would point to effective psychosocial interventions for improving the quality of life for this population.