Health-related quality of life, illness perception, happiness and negative emotions in rheumatoid arthritis patients

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between quality of life related to health, illness perception, happiness, anxiety and depression in 62 patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. The study design was descriptive correlational. Instruments: The Quality of Life in Rheumatoid Arthritis Scale-QOL-RA, Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire-IPQ-B, Subjective Happiness Scale-SIIS and The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-HADS. Results: There was a high quality of life related to health in these patients, as some domains of QOL-RA such as support, social life and mood have demonstrated a significant impact on HRQOL. In the multiple linear regression model negative weight of anxiety and positive happiness with QOL-RA were appreciated. Conclusion: psychological factors such as anxiety and happiness have significant weight on the perceived quality of life of patients with RA.