Measurement of psycho-emotional constructs and self-management in health of patients with Rheumatics diseases

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to measure the scores of psychoemotional and self-management constructs in patients with rheumatic diseases (RD), to compare these scores according to the RD type and to verify the influence of these measures on self-management in health.

Methods: Cross-sectional study, carried out in an ambulatory of a public hospital of Brazil. Adult patients, with diagnosis of RD, responded to self-esteem, anxiety and depression, health and activation scales. Spearman’s correlation tests, independence tests, mean or median tests, multiple linear regressions evaluated the variables of interest at a significance level of .05.

Results: Eighty-six patients (mean age = 45.23, SD = 14.30) were evaluated. High activation (mean = 65.83, SD = 14.20) and self-esteem scores (mean = 30.67, SD = 5.65) were observed, while moderate anxiety scores (mean = 8.21, SD = 4.37) and low scores for depression (mean = 6.37, SD = 3.98). Significant correlations were observed, from low to moderate magnitude, among other measures with activation (p < .05). There were weak correlations between activation and formal study time, self-esteem with age and family income, depression and number of comorbidities diagnosed or self-reported (p < .05). The RD type no affects any of the constructs evaluated.

Conclusions: It was concluded that patients with rheumatic diseases presented high self-esteem, moderate anxiety levels and low levels of depression and a high level of activation. Lower number of diagnosed comorbities, higher formal study time was related to better self-management in health.