COPING WITH RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS - COPING STYLES AND THERAPEUTIC CONSEQUENCES

In rheumatoid arthritis, coping exerts a major influence on the feelin gs and the compliance of a patient. This signifies its great clinical relevance. This study presents data of 40 patients using a questionnai re for assessing their ways of coping. The main coping strategies prov ed to be the search for more information and ways to get cognitive con trol over the threat imposed by the disease. The individual strategies were not influenced by somatic parameters. Unexpectedly, the duration of disease was tightly correlated to a more intensive approach for ga ining information. The results have a major influence on the way of tr eating patients with RA. They open up new therapeutical regimens for t he patient/doctor relationship, including patient oriented seminars an d various psychological therapies.