Arthritis cannot break my spirit: functional disability, social support and life orientation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Background & objective: A chronic autoimmune disease that affects millions of humans worldwide is known as Rheumatoid arthritis. In addition to joint discomfort and swelling, this disorder can cause systemic symptoms and long-term joint damage, which can cause a harmful effect on the person's quality of life. So, this study aimed to assess the association between functional disability, social support, and life orientation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Methodology: A research design with cross-sectional and purposive sampling techniques was used to collect data (N = 150) from patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The 'Functional Status Questionnaire', the 'Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support', and the 'Modified Life Overview Test' were used for data collection. Results: Results showed that functional disability was significantly negatively associated with social support and negatively with life orientation. Similarly, social support was found positively correlated with life orientation. Additionally, functional disability was found to be a significant negative predictor while social support was found a positive predictor of life orientation. Function disability was high in female patients. Conclusion: It was concluded that rheumatoid arthritis affects a person badly. This study can be helpful for psychologists and mental health relievers to investigate the psychological problems linked with this problem and then manage them accordingly.