Evaluation of the Role of Affective Temperamental Features, Automatic Thoughts, and Symptom Interpretation on Disease Activity in Patients with Axial Spondyloarthritis

OBJECTIVE: Axial spondyloarthritis is a systemic and chronic inflammatory disease. Psychological liability to depression and anxiety influences the disease process, prognosis, and treatment outcomes of other medical conditions. Early detection and treatment of these psychiatric conditions would also help in improving the physical functioning of patients with axial spondyloarthritis by reducing the patient’s anxiety and depression symptoms. We evaluated the affective temperamental features, automatic thoughts, symptom interpretation, and their relationship with disease activity in patients with axial spondyloarthritis. METHODS: A total of 152 patients diagnosed with axial spondyloarthritis are recruited. Axial spondyloarthritis disease activity was calculated by Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index. Depression and anxiety levels were screened with Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale while affective temperament was evaluated with Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego-autoquestionnaire version and automatic thoughts were screened with Symptom Interpretation Questionnaire, and Automatic thoughts questionnaire. RESULTS: It was observed that 48% (n = 73) were female. The mean age was 43.5 (10.5) years, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index score was 3.97 (1.14). According to the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index scale, 53.30% (n = 81) of the patients were in high disease activity. We found that HAD-depression, HAD-anxiety, Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego-autoquestionnaire version, Symptom Interpretation Questionnaire, and Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire scores were significantly higher in the high disease activity group. CONCLUSION: Patients’ temperament characteristics and mood disorders may affect composite disease activity scores such as Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index. In patients with high disease activity scores despite receiving appropriate treatment, mood disorders may need to be evaluated. There is a need to develop disease activity scores unaffected by mood disorders.