Coping Skills Training for Early Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Conditions
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Comprehensive Coping Skills TrainingBehavioral: Arthritis Education SessionsBehavioral: Standard Care
- Registration Number
- NCT00056394
- Lead Sponsor
- Duke University
- Brief Summary
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory arthritis and a major health problem. Medical treatments are now being used much earlier in the course of RA, but these treatments do not address the challenges of coping with the early stages of this disease. This study will determine whether a comprehensive coping skills training program can decrease pain, psychological disability, and physical disability in patients with early RA.
- Detailed Description
RA is a serious and complex disease that taxes patients' coping resources. Patients with RA must cope with pain and with major life stresses, including disruptions in their health, work, family, and marital functioning.
Recognition of the morbidity and mortality associated with RA has increased interest in early interventions. Rapid disease progression during the first few years of RA taxes patients' coping efforts. Those who cope well with the early stages of RA can maintain an active and rewarding lifestyle. Those who do not may become depressed, decrease physical activity, and develop a sedentary, restricted lifestyle that contributes to long-term disability and overdependence on family and friends.
This study will evaluate the effectiveness of early coping skills training (CST) to enhance self-efficacy, prepare patients to cope with future pain, and prevent the development of behaviors that may increase long-term psychological distress and physical disability. The comprehensive CST intervention combines traditional CST with CST components tailored to rheumatoid arthritis patients. It is designed to teach traditional coping skills such as attention diversion, cognitive restructuring, and changes in activity to control and decrease pain.
Participants will be randomized to one of three study groups: 1) comprehensive pain coping skills training; 2) arthritis education; or 3) standard care. Study participants assigned to the comprehensive CST and the arthritis education groups will be asked to attend ten weekly, 80-minute treatment sessions. These ten sessions will be followed by a series of six biweekly follow-up telephone calls.
Study participants in the arthritis education group will learn about the nature and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis as well as the benefits of exercise and joint protection. Study participants in the standard care group will continue to receive care from their rheumatologists but will not participate in any treatment sessions.
Measures of pain, disability, pain coping, and self efficacy will be collected during evaluation sessions before and after the treatment phase. Participants attend 5 evaluation sessions and will be followed for 18 months.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 105
Not provided
Not provided
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- FACTORIAL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description 1 Comprehensive Coping Skills Training Participants will receive comprehensive pain coping skills. 2 Arthritis Education Sessions Participants will receive arthritis education. 3 Standard Care Participants will receive standard care.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Pain Measured at Week 10 Psychological disability Measured at Week 10 Physical disability Measured at Week 10
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Erythrocyte sedimentation rate Measured at Week 10 Joint tenderness count Measured at Week 10 Grip strength Measured at Week 10 Physician assessment of disease activity Measured at Week 10 C reactive protein Measured at Week 10
Trial Locations
- Locations (2)
Duke University
🇺🇸Durham, North Carolina, United States
Duke University Medical Center
🇺🇸Durham, North Carolina, United States