Stress management training produced statistically significant improvements in helplessness, self-efficacy, coping, pain, and health status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
RCT (n=141)
Randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups
Does stress-management training improve clinical outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis?
Stress management interventions can produce important clinical benefits, including improvements in pain and health status, for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of stress-management training on clinical outcomes in persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Patients with RA (n = 141) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: a stress management group, an attention control group, or a standard care control group. The stress management and the attention control groups received a 10-week intervention followed by an additional 15-month maintenance phase. RESULTS: The stress management group showed statistically significant improvements on measures of helplessness, self-efficacy, coping, pain, and health status. Selected beneficial effects were still detectable at the 15-month followup evaluation. CONCLUSION: The data indicated that stress management interventions are capable of producing important clinical benefits for persons with RA.
Parker et al. (Fri,) conducted a rct in Rheumatoid arthritis (n=141). Stress-management training vs. Attention control group or standard care control group was evaluated on Measures of helplessness, self-efficacy, coping, pain, and health status. Stress management training produced statistically significant improvements in helplessness, self-efficacy, coping, pain, and health status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.