Objective. To determine whether coping strategies and illness perceptions w
ould be predictive of outcome in a longitudinal study of patients with rheu
matoid arthritis (RA).
Methods. A group of 71 patients with RA was examined on 2 occasions, one ye
ar apart. Multiple regressions were used to examine which of the illness pe
rceptions and coping strategies explained variance on the outcome variables
: visits to the outpatient clinic, number of hospital admissions, Health As
sessment Questionnaire, pain,tiredness, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression
Scale.
Results. Belief in adverse consequences of the disease was associated with
more visits to the outpatient clinic, mon tiredness, and higher anxiety sco
res. Less perceived control and less expression of emotion were associated
with more hospital admissions. High scores on coping involving fostering re
assuring thoughts were associated with more functional disability. More pas
sive coping was associated with more functional disability and higher anxie
ty scores, More perceived symptoms were associated with more pain, more tir
edness, and more depression. More avoidant coping was associated with more
tiredness. Belief that the illness will last a long time was associated wit
h higher anxiety scores.
Conclusion. Our longitudinal data show that, after statistically controllin
g for the potential effects of intervening medical variables, coping strate
gies and illness perceptions contribute to health outcome in patients with
RA. Implications for patient management are discussed.