Importance and difficulty with valued life activities for people with systemic sclerosis

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Health Psychology

Background:

• Systemic sclerosis (SSc) significantly impacts patients' daily lives and ability to perform valued activities.
• Understanding the challenges faced by SSc patients in engaging in activities is crucial for developing effective rehabilitation strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the importance and difficulty of valued activities in individuals with SSc.
• To explore the relationship between SSc symptoms and difficulties with valued activities.
• To evaluate the internal consistency and validity of the Short-VLA Scale (S-VLA).

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 99 SSc patients.
• Data collected through questionnaires on demographics, symptom severity, Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and the Valued Activities Scale (VLA).

Main Results:

• Committed activities were rated as significantly more difficult than obligatory and discretionary activities.
• Reduced fatigue, lower HAQ, and lower CES-D scores correlated with higher overall VLA scores.
• The S-VLA demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92) and strong correlation with the VLA (r=0.96).

Conclusions:

• Home management, caregiving, leisure, and social participation are more challenging for SSc patients compared to self-care activities.
• The association between activity difficulty, fatigue, and depression highlights the need for rehabilitation interventions.
• The S-VLA is a potentially valuable tool for screening and monitoring patients with SSc and other chronic conditions.