Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Glycemic Impact on Knee Osteoarthritis Symptoms on Physical, Radiographic, and Inflammatory Markers among Individuals Aged 50 and Over with Diabetes
Published on: March 7, 2025
The psychological impact of arthritis: the effects of illness perception and coping
Y Zyrianova1, B D Kelly, J Sheehan
1UCD School of Psychotherapy, St. Vincent's University Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin 4, Ireland. dr.yulia@ucd.ie
Background:
Coping and illness perception are considered to be important contributors in the relationship between physical and psychological factors in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Aims:
The aim of this study was to examine the complex relationship of coping and illness perception on physical and psychological factors in RA using a structural model.
Methods:
We assessed coping, illness perception, depression, anxiety, pain, arthritis-related disability and perceived social support in 68 adults with RA.
Results:
Greater pain was detected in patients with increased scores on passive coping scale, greater severity of physical disability and increased depression and anxiety. Illness perception was found to be a mediator in the relationship between physical disability and passive coping on one hand and depression, anxiety and pain on the other.
Conclusions:
The hypothesised structural model has proven to be a useful paradigm for understanding the associations between multiple factors in RA presentation: clinical, emotional, personal and cognitive.
Related Concept Videos
Factors Affecting Illness
For instance, risk factors are connected to illness, disability,...
Psychological Responses to Stress
Factors Affecting Perception
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
Classification of Illness
An illness is a response to a disease in which the person's level of functioning is changed compared with a previous level. The general classification of illness includes acute and chronic.
Acute illness is severe and...
Lazarus's Cognitive Appraisal Theory
Primary Appraisal:...
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia

