Disability, social support, and distress in rheumatoid arthritis: Results from a thirteen‐year prospective study

Abstract

During the course of the disease, patients may learn to adjust to their disease and its consequences and are able to maintain a normal distress level. The effect of the disease on psychological distress decreased over the years. Some support for the buffering hypothesis of social support was found in short-term RA, but not in long-term RA.