A cross-sectional study on self-reported physical and mental health-related quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis and the role of illness perception

BACKGROUND: Psychosocial models including illness perception might explain individual differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and daily functioning in chronically ill patients. The aim of this study was to assess the association of illness perception among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with physical and mental HRQoL, adjusted for demographic variables, clinical variables and social support. METHODS: A cross-sectional study conducted at a Viennese rheumatology outpatient clinic on 120 RA patients. Participants completed questionnaires on demographic and clinical characteristics, HRQoL (SF-36 Questionnaire), illness beliefs (Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire) and social support (Social Support Scale-8). Analyses were performed with multivariate linear regression. RESULTS: The mean physical was lower (38.38) than the mean mental SF-36 summary score (46.94). In univariate analysis, all domains of illness perception except belief in a chronic disease course were associated with physical and mental HRQoL. In multivariate analyses, illness perception accounted for 51% of variance in physical HRQoL. A stronger belief in the consequences of RA (consequences, β = − 0.33) and a stronger belief in repeated disease recurrence (timeline cyclical, β = − 0 .31) were significantly associated with physical HRQoL in the fully adjusted model. Illness perception accounted for 45% of variance in mental HRQoL. Emotional representation (β = − 0 .27) and fatigue (β = − 0 .36) were significantly associated with mental HRQoL in the fully adjusted model. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of RA patients’ beliefs about their illness and symptoms in relation to HRQoL. Identification of patients’ perception of RA may be a way to positively influence disease outcomes such as quality of life as illness perception is amenable to intervention.