The purpose of the present study was to assess the hypothesis that intellec
tual functioning affects the mental health of individuals with rheumatoid a
rthritis. Structural equation modeling techniques were used to assess the r
elative contributions of age, education, intellectual functioning, self-eff
icacy, and pain to mental health. It was hypothesized that individuals with
rheumatoid arthritis who had higher intellectual functioning and higher se
lf-efficacy would report better mental health than those with lower intelle
ctual functioning and self-efficacy. One hundred twenty-one adults aged 34
to 84 with rheumatoid arthritis completed a battery of cognitive tasks, and
multiple measures of self-efficacy, pain, and mental health, twice in 1 mo
nth. The data provided a good fit to the hypothesized model. Intellectual f
unctioning was directly related to mental health and, also, indirectly rela
ted to mental health through self-efficacy and pain. Older individuals who
performed poorly on cognitive tasks reported less self-efficacy, more pain,
and poorer mental health than those individuals who performed well on cogn
itive tasks.