Determinants of self-perceived burden among rheumatoid arthritis patients: a cross-sectional study

Purpose To investigate the current status of self-perceived burden (SPB) among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and analyze its influencing factors. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 140 RA patients recruited from four tertiary hospitals in Taiyuan city, Shanxi Province. The data was collected through structured questionnaires assessing: General Information Questionnaire, Self-Perceived Burden Scale (SPBS), Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Scale, Social Support Rating Scale(SSRS).Multiple linear regression were employed to identify key predictors of SPB. Results From 112 distributed questionnaires, 104 were returned valid, with a 92.85% response rate. RA patients (40.38%) exhibited a moderate SPB, with a mean score of 29.10 ± 10.27. The primary concern was the emotional impact on caregivers, with the highest scores reflecting worry about caregiver burden (3.33±1.47). Multivariate linear regression analysis identified marital status (β = 0.19, P = 0.028), Activities of Daily Living (β=-0.26, P = 0.006), and family monthly income (β=-0.30, P = 0.002) as significant predictors of SPB in RA patients. Conclusions The findings underscore the moderate but significant SPB in RA patients, with key influences being Activities of Daily Living, marital status, and economic factors. These insights are vital for tailoring supportive care and shaping public health strategies to better serve this patient population. Clinical trial registration number Not applicable.