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Anxiety in rheumatoid arthritis
Melanie M VanDyke1, Jerry C Parker, Karen L Smarr
1Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital, Columbia, Missouri 65201, USA.
Arthritis and Rheumatism
|June 10, 2004
Summary
Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experience higher trait anxiety than the general population. Anxiety levels are significantly elevated in RA patients with depression and correlate with stress and depression, but not disease duration.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Rheumatology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease.
- Anxiety is a common comorbidity in chronic illnesses.
- Understanding anxiety in RA is crucial for comprehensive patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate anxiety levels in individuals diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
- To compare anxiety in RA patients with osteoarthritis patients, those with comorbid depression, and a healthy normative group.
- To explore the relationship between anxiety, stress, depression, and RA disease duration.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from two prior studies for comparative analysis.
- Employed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to measure anxiety.
- Applied canonical correlation analyses to assess associations between anxiety, stress, and depression.
Main Results:
- Rheumatoid arthritis patients exhibited significantly higher trait anxiety compared to a normative sample.
- Individuals with RA and comorbid major depression showed markedly elevated state and trait anxiety.
- Anxiety strongly correlated with depression (r = 0.83) and stress (r = 0.50).
Conclusions:
- Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly those with co-occurring depression, experience heightened anxiety.
- Anxiety in RA shares significant variance with depression and stress.
- No significant relationship was found between anxiety and the duration of rheumatoid arthritis.