Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an incurable autoimmune disease that affects approximately 1 in 100 Canadians. Symptoms of RA include chronic pain, stiffness and inflammation of the joints, fatigue, and frequent mood changes. Because there is no cure, RA treatment focuses on the alleviation of symptoms and an attempt to maintain functional status. As disease factors only partially predict pain and disability,there is growing interest in the influence of psychological and social factors on the progression of RA. The spouse is most often the primary caregiver of persons with RA, and research and theory point to the importance of marital factors in patient outcomes. However, previous research has relied almost exclusively on patient perceptions of the spouse, and recent calls in the literature have recommended researchers investigate spouse factors in the experience of patient pain by obtaining data from the spouse. Studying both patient and spouse, instead of relying on only patient perceptions of spousal factors, will provide a more accurate explanation of the psychosocial factors involved in the patient's experience of RA. The primary objective of the proposed research is to increase our understanding of the role of the spouse in patient pain, disease course and quality of life. Previous findings from our lab suggest that increased levels of spouse depression lead to higher levels of patient disease activity and disability. At present it is unclear how fluctuations in spouse mood impact disease outcomes of the patient. The proposed research will directly assess spouse reported mood, provision of support, criticism and marital satisfaction as well as patient ratings of satisfaction with spouse support, pain, disease course and well-being. Given the current focus on multidisciplinary treatment of RA, findings from this research may aid development of more effective interventions that target both patient and spouse, helping patients cope with their pain and disability.