Regular Article

Identifying Target Areas of Treatment for Depressed Early Inflammatory Arthritis Patients
Patricia L. Dobkin^a, Marta Filipski^d, Karl Looper^b, Orit Schieir^c, Murray Baron^c, McGill Early Arthritis Research Group<sup>1

a</sup>Department of Medicine, McGill University, Departments of
^bPsychiatry and
^cRheumatology, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Que., Canada;
^dUniversity of California, Berkeley, Calif., USA

Address of Corresponding Author

Psychother Psychosom 2008;77:298-305 (DOI: 10.1159/000142522)

  Key Words

• Early inflammatory arthritis
• Depression
• Psychotherapy
• Coping
• Pain

  Abstract

Background: The goal of this study was to identify target areas for psychosocial intervention for depressed patients with earlyinflammatory arthritis. Methods:One hundred and sixty-five patients with early inflammatory arthritis (1 joint with synovitis for 6 weeks and <1 year with a diagnosis of either rheumatoid or undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis) were referred to the McGill Early Arthritis Registry (McEAR) by their rheumatologist. McEAR patients agree to periodic physical exams and to completing questionnaires. Demographic, disease and psychosocial factors were compared between patients screening positive and negative for depression using independent samples t tests and Pearson's ² test and then were entered into a logistic regression model examining the likelihood of screening positive for depression. Results: Thirty-eight (23%) patients screened positive for depressive symptoms. Patients with symptoms of depression had significantly worse disease severity, disability, and pain, engaged in more emotional preoccupation coping, had less self-efficacy for pain and other arthritis-related symptoms, smaller social networks and were less satisfied with social support than the nondepressed group. In logistic regression analyses, pain and emotional preoccupation coping were positively related to the likelihood of screening positive for depression, while satisfaction with social support was negatively related to the likelihood of screening positive for depression Conclusion: Higher pain levels, emotional preoccupation coping and dissatisfaction with social support were related to depressive symptoms in this study. This suggests that the optimal care of depressed patients with inflammatory arthritis would include a psychosocial approach that addresses these specific target areas.

Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Dr. Patricia L. Dobkin
McGill University Health Centre Research Institute, Division of Clinical Epidemiology
687 Pine Avenue West
Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1A1 (Canada)
Tel. +1 514 934 1934, ext. 44717, E-Mail patricia.dobkin@mcgill.ca

  Article Information

Published online: July 4, 2008
Number of Print Pages : 8
Number of Figures : 0, Number of Tables : 4, Number of References : 57