Coping strategies, psychological impact, and support preferences of men with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A multicenter survey

Flurey, Caroline A; Hewlett, Sarah; Rodham, Karen; White, Alan; Noddings, Robert; Kirwan, John

Abstract

© 2017 The Authors. Arthritis Care & Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American College of Rheumatology.

Objective: To investigate the existence and distribution of 2 typologies (termed “factors”) of men with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) identified through our previous Q-methodology study (n = 30) in a larger sample of men with RA, and whether differences in psychosocial impact or support preferences exist between the 2 factors, and between men and women with RA.

Methods: A postal survey was sent to 620 men with RA from 6 rheumatology units across England, and the support preferences section of the survey was given to 232 women with RA.

Results: A total of 295 male patients (47.6%) and 103 female patients (44.4%) responded; 15 male participants had missing data, and thus 280 were included in the analysis. Of these, 61 (22%) were assigned to factor A (“accept and adapt”), 120 (35%) were assigned to factor B (“struggling to match up”), and 99 (35%) were unassigned. The two factors differed significantly, with factor B reporting more severe disease, less effective coping strategies, and poorer psychological status. For support, men favored a question and answer session with a consultant (54%) or specialist nurse (50%), a website for information (69%), a talk by researchers (54%), or a symptom management session (54%). Overall, women reported more interest in support sessions than men, with ≥50% of women reporting interest in nearly every option provided.

Conclusion: Some men accept and adapt to their RA, but others (43%) report severe disease, less effective coping, and poor psychological status. Men's preferences for support are practical, with a focus on expanding their knowledge.

Citation

Flurey, C. A., Hewlett, S., Rodham, K., White, A., Noddings, R., & Kirwan, J. (2018). Coping strategies, psychological impact, and support preferences of men with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A multicenter survey. Arthritis Care and Research, 70(6), 851-860. https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.23422

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 11, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Sep 21, 2017
• Publication Date: Jun 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Feb 28, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: May 2, 2018
• Journal: Arthritis Care and Research
• Print ISSN: 2151-464X
• Electronic ISSN: 2151-4658
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 70
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 851-860
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.23422
• Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis, RA, men, masculinity, men's health, survey,
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/869459
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/acr.23422
• Additional Information: Additional Information : This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Flurey, C., Hewlett, S., Rodham, K., White, A., Noddings, R. and Kirwan, J. (2018) Coping strategies, psychological impact and support preferences of men with rheumatoid arthritis: A multicentre survey. Arthritis Care & Research. ISSN 2151-464X, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/acr.23422. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.