Facing the challenge of rheumatoid arthritis. A 13-year prospective study among patients and cross-sectional study among partners

Differences in physical, psychological and social outcomes between rheumatoid arthritis patients of the same age with similar disease severity are frequently observed and cannot be explained by disease-related factors alone. Medical sociologists suggest that this intra-individual variation can be explained by other factors next to disease-related factors, such as psychological and social factors. This research examines the contribution of disease-related, psychological and social factors in explaining individual differences in outcomes. The aim of the study is 1) the investigation of the pattern, pace and direction of the pathway from disease to disability and subjective well-being and 2) to describe the effect of the disease process on the patient’s partner as well as the interaction between the patient’s and partner’s functioning on each others well-being. These research questions are examined with longitudinal data from the international project EUropean Research on Incapacitating DIseases and Social Support (EURIDISS) collected among rheumatoid arthritis patients in the Netherlands and with cross-sectional data collected among their partners. Mathilde Strating (1978) studied Human Movement Sciences at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. She conducted the present research at the Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS) in Groningen, the Netherlands.