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Objective: To determine the relationship of mood management skills, and affective and cognitive states to changes in moods following mood induction among people with osteoarthritis., Methods: After completing questionnaires, participants underwent a negative mood induction. Momentary moods were assessed prior to, immediately following, and several minutes after the mood induction., Results: A specific mood management skill, mood clarity, consistently predicted changes in positive mood following the mood induction: people who scored high on mood clarity experienced less diminution in positive affect. In contrast, changes in negative affect were unrelated to mood management skills. However, people who scored higher on measures of depressive symptoms and pessimism rebounded from the negative induced mood less strongly than others., Conclusion: Positive and negative emotional states operate largely independently and are differentially influenced by mood clarity, depressive symptoms, and pessimism. High levels of mood clarity may be adaptive in illnesses such as osteoarthritis because negative affective experiences that may be unavoidable need not preclude positive affective states.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect that self-evaluation processes have on psychologic well-being among individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)., Methods: The study used a longitudinal research design with 4 data collection points. Participants were 227 adults with recently diagnosed RA. Data were collected via mailed questionnaire and telephone interview. Two dimensions of psychologic well-being were assessed--positive affect and negative affect., Results: We found that, among participants who viewed the abilities being evaluated as very important, greater satisfaction at time 1 was associated with less negative affect at time 2 and time 4. Satisfaction was not associated with positive affect at any of the time points, however., Conclusion: Study findings indicate that dissatisfaction with illness-related abilities can exacerbate psychologic distress. The findings also highlight the need for research examining the role that positive affect plays in adaptation to RA.

Objective: To assess, using both qualitative/inductive and quantitative data, whether people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have schemas related to arthritis., Methods: Themes identified from interview and focus group transcripts were used to develop 1) questionnaire items, and 2) statements participants were asked to recall during home interviews. Two hundred one people with RA completed questionnaires and recall tasks of the type used in cognitive research, followed 10 days later by another recall assessment by telephone., Results: Qualitative methods, item-level questionnaire data, and category-level recall data yielded convergent results supporting 4 final categories: mastery, support, loss of independence, and depression. Regression analyses indicated that category of earlier recollections predicted subsequent recollections assessed via phone., Conclusions: Results from widely different methods offer at least partial support for arthritis schemas and suggest that the concepts identified are meaningful to patients as well as to researchers.

Attempts to estimate the prevalence of depression in people with arthritis are complicated by conceptual, definitional, and measurement problems and inconsistencies. Following a description of these methodologic problems, recent studies of depressive disorders and depressive symptoms in clinical and community samples are reviewed. The review suggests that although most people with rheumatic diseases do not experience them, depressive disorders and symptoms are probably more prevalent among people with rheumatic diseases than among people with no chronic diseases. This somewhat increased prevalence is probably no greater than that found in other serious chronic diseases, however. Additional research is needed.

Purpose: We examined whether or not there are systematic differences in how people appraise different types of illness-related problems and in how they cope with these problems., Methods: Two hundred thirty-five adults with recently diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis completed a mailed questionnaire followed by a telephone interview. A series of stress appraisal and coping variables were assessed in relation to three areas: household activities, leisure activities, and pain management., Results: Pain differed significantly from household and leisure activities with regard to several appraisal and coping variables. Participants reported the least control over problems with pain, while attaching the most importance to pain control. Leisure activities also stood out as unique on several variables. Participants perceived greater ability and were more satisfied with their ability in relation to leisure activities., Conclusion: These findings show that, at least early in the disease, appraisal and coping strategies differ across the areas of household activities, leisure activities, and pain management.