Illness intrusiveness in rheumatoid arthritis: differential impact on depressive symptoms over the adult lifespan.

Depressive symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were hypothesized to derive from illness intrusiveness--illness-induced lifestyle disruptions. Differences over the adult lifespan were also investigated in 110 outpatients with RA, aged 24-78 years who completed standardized psychological tests. A significant Age x Illness Intrusiveness interaction indicated that depressive symptoms intensified more sharply among comparatively younger vs older individuals as the intrusiveness of RA increased. We conclude illness intrusiveness is an important determinant of depressive symptoms in RA. However, its impact may vary over the course of adult psychological development.