Coping strategies among patients newly diagnosed with diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis at baseline and after 24 months.

Patients aged 18-65 years with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus ( n = 89) or rheumatoid arthritis ( n = 100) were studied by the General Coping Questionnaire at baseline and after 24 months. In total, 34 diabetes mellitus and 46 rheumatoid arthritis patients were diagnosed with psychosocial problems. The use of negative coping strategies, such as protest, isolation, and intrusion, was associated mostly with being classified as having psychosocial problems. With the risk of experiencing a strong impact of the disease at 2 years of follow-up as outcome, intrusion was a significant and independent risk factor, while minimization was a significant and independent protective factor.

Depression and anxiety after 2 years of follow-up in patients diagnosed with diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis.

We studied emotional health in patients with diabetes mellitus (n = 89) or rheumatoid arthritis (n = 100) aged 18-65 years, at the time of diagnosis and after 24 months. Predictors for depression or anxiety according to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale after 2 years were assessed by logistic regression, with psychosocial factors and coping as dependent factors. There were many similarities between patients with diabetes mellitus or rheumatoid arthritis. Having children at home, low score on the Sense of Coherence scale, and high score on the coping strategy "protest" were important risk factors for depression and anxiety after 2 years.

What predicts negative effects of rheumatoid arthritis? A follow-up two years after diagnosis.

We aimed at analyzing important predictive factors for experienced negative emotional and social effects of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) two years after diagnosis in patients aged 18-65 years. The first group included 41 participants, who had psychosocial problems (PSP) already at diagnosis, and who received an intervention by a medical social worker to improve coping capacity and social situation. The second group included 54 patients (NPSP) without such problems at diagnosis. All completed a questionnaire mapping their social situation, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC) and the General Coping Questionnaire (GCQ) at diagnosis and after 24 months. The most pronounced predictive factor for a strong impact of the disease was high scores on HADS depression scale. After 24 months, PSP participants had a more strained life situation, with higher scores on anxiety and depression and lower on SOC, in comparison with NPSP. NPSP participants improved their coping strategies regarding self-trust, cognitive revaluation, protest and intrusion, but deteriorated regarding problem focusing and social trust. PSP patients kept their initial coping strategies, except for intrusion decreasing over time, and seemed to have a more rigid coping pattern. However, the experienced negative impact of the disease increased over time in both groups despite improvement in sickness related data. Mostly influenced areas were economy, leisure time activities and social life. We conclude that psychosocial consequences of RA are more connected to emotional and social vulnerability than are RA-related clinical factors.