CSM useful tool for assessing psychological outcomes in patients with PsA

The common-sense model of self-regulation, or CSM, appears to be a useful means of accounting for disparities in psychological outcomes in patients with psoriatic arthritis, according to findings.
In the study, researchers recruited 179 adults with PsA using social media platforms, website links, and posters/fliers at the University of Manchester and Salford Royal Hospital in the United Kingdom. They invited patients to enter the study if they were aged at least 18 years and had been diagnosed with PsA by a doctor, according to self-report.
Participants completed the study measures online. They reported the following: age, sex, height, weight, duration since PsA diagnosis and smoking status.
Participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), a tool used to assess anxiety (seven items) and depression (seven items). A score of at least 8 indicates a probable case of depression, and a score greater than 10 means a definite case.

Of the 179 study participants, 77.1% were women aged 20 to 72 years (median age, 45 years). On the HADS anxiety subscale, 60.8% of participants scored at least 8 and 46.8% scored at least 10. Results on the depression subscale found that 51.2% scored at least 8 and 38.8% scored at least 10.
In the final model predicting depression, there was a statistically significant increase in depression scores in participants with more severe PsA, an increase of 0.7 (95% CI, 0.03-1.35) for each unit increase in disease severity. Analysis controlling for disease severity revealed that depression levels increased by 0.58 (97% CI, 0.27-0.9) with each unit increase in beliefs about consequences, and by 0.94 (95% CI, 0.58-1.31) with each unit increase in behavioral disengagement,

The final model predicting anxiety revealed no statistically significant discrepancies in the levels of anxiety based on patients’ levels of PsA severity or psoriasis severity.

Levels of anxiety rose 1.26 (95% CI, 0.91-1.62) with each unit increase in self-blame.

“This study provides support for the usefulness of the [CSM] in explaining factors related to psychological distress in a PsA sample and provides a basis for intervention to improve PsA-related distress,” the researchers wrote. “Interventions to change beliefs about consequences of the illness, self-blame and behavioral disengagement may improve distress associated with PsA.” – by Jennifer Byrne

Disclosures: Howells reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.

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Source:

Howells L, et al. Arthritis Res Care. 2017;doi:10.1002/acr.23330.