Social support has a big impact on quality of life in people with rheumatoid arthritis

Good social support for people with rheumatoid arthritis predicts quality of life above and beyond disease activity, demographic factors and social integration, says research published in Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology.
Previous studies have found that social support does have beneficial effects in people with rheumatoid arthritis. But research has shown that social and cultural differences impact on if people choose to use social support that is available.
So a team looked specifically at the situation in Greece where they asked a total of 127 people with rheumatoid arthritis to complete various questionnaires.
The following did not impact on quality of life: age; social network size; and reciprocity.
And the following did have an impact on quality of life: family income; education level; and being male. Quality of social support was positively correlated with quality of life, even after taking into account disease activity, demographic variables and number of social roles.
“In Greek rheumatoid arthritis patients, quality of social support predicts quality of life above and beyond disease activity, demographic factors and social integration,” the researchers conclude.

Image credit: Benjamin Random

Subscribe to Arthritis Digest, the UK’s fastest growing arthritis magazine for all the latest arthritis news, reviews and celebrity interviews. You’ll know what your doctor is talking about, what new drugs are in the pipeline and be up to date on helpful products. Hard copy and digital versions both available. Click here for more information.