Problematic Social Support, Family Functioning, and Subjective Well-Being in Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of problematic social support and family functioning to measures of subjective well-being in a sample of women with rheumatoid arthritis. Seventy-three women with rheumatoid arthritis completed questionnaires that assessed problematic support (i.e., negative support, unavailability of emotional support), family functioning, and subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction and the absence of negative affect or depressive symptoms). Pearson product moment correlation coefficients and hierarchical multivariable regression analyses were conducted. The latter analyses controlled for age, length of time since diagnosis, education, income, pain and fatigue-two prominent symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. The two measures of problematic support were significantly inversely related to family functioning (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001) and life satisfaction (p = 0.02 and p < 0.001), but were not significantly related to each other. Family functioning was positively related to life satisfaction (p < 0.001) and inversely related to negative affect (p < 0.001) and depressive symptoms (p < 0.001). In multiple regression analyses higher symptom severity, greater problematic support, and lower family functioning were associated with depressive symptoms (p < 0.001) and negative affect (p < 0.001), while higher family functioning and a decrease in symptom severity were associated with life satisfaction (p < 0.001), above and beyond demographic variables and length of time since diagnosis. Subjective well-being in women with rheumatoid arthritis is related to perceptions of family functioning and the amount and type of support received from others, above and beyond the pain and fatigue that characterizes rheumatoid arthritis and is negatively associated with well-being.