Prospective contributions of attributional style and arthritis helplessness to disability in rheumatoid arthritis

This study examined the differential predictive utility of attributional style and arthritis helplessness on self-report and observer-report measures of disability. Forty-two individuals from an outpatient rheumatology clinic were followed over the course of 1 year and completed measures of attributional style, arthritis helplessness, depression, pain, and disability at Time 1 and Time 2. Objective measures of functional disability were completed by a physician’s assistant after routine physical examinations at both time periods. Results revealed that a pessimistic attributional style at Time 1 significantly predicted lower self-rated disability at Time 2. Similarly, greater arthritis helplessness at Time 1 predicted lower physician-rated disability at Time 2. Results are discussed with particular focus on the utility of differential disability assessments and the potential role of cognitive-behavioral interventions in treating individuals with rheumatoid arthritis.