Purpose: This study examined the relationship between the foundation of personality, temperamental dispositions, and perceived satisfaction with health status in persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or other chronic rheumatic conditions. Design: A secondary analysis of data collected in a cross-sectional, correlational study was used. Variables from two instruments were used: Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire and Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale II. The present study was guided by a model of health satisfaction which specifies that personal attributes account for the subjective perception of quality of life. Setting: Subjects in the original study were selected from two private-practice rheumatologists and the rheumatology clinics of three medical centers. Sample: Individuals with a diagnosis of probable, definite or classic RA without uncontrolled comorbidities were eligible. A total of 153 individual records met these criteria and constituted the sample (mean of age=55.4). Findings: Negative Affectivity (NA) demonstrated a significant positive correlation (r=.26 to .58) with all five health domain satisfaction scores (p< .001). With stepwise linear regression analysis, NA and Positive Affectivity (PA) jointly predicted from 8.2% - 37.8% of the variance in these health satisfaction scores. Conclusion: These findings are consistent with other studies that suggest that NA influences perception while PA influences action. Furthermore, NA again emerges as an important individual difference variable that moderates health satisfaction of the persons with RA. Implication: When assessing quality of life, clinicians should also assess temperamental disposition. Prompt interventions designed to enhance more favorable illness appraisals could reduce problems in the three interrelated areas of meaningfulness, manageability, and comprehensibility, thus improving quality of life.
Session #1219 - Poster Session I
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)