Östlund Gunnel, Björk Mathilda, Thyberg Ingrid, Valtersson Eva, Sverker Annette
Division of Social Work, School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, Eskilstuna, Sweden.
Department of Rheumatology and Department of Social and Welfare studies, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Musculoskeletal Care. 2018 Jun;16(2):251-259. doi: 10.1002/msc.1225. Epub 2018 Jan 9.
The present study explored how women describe their use of situation-specific strategies when managing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim was also to compare women's strategies with those of men, and see the extent to which they used the same strategies.
The data were collected using semi-structured interviews based on the critical incident technique. The sample consisted of women with early rheumatic arthritis (n = 34), and the results were compared with data reported in a previous study on men (n = 25) from the same cohort. The patient-described participation restrictions due to RA were firstly linked to the domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The different strategies used were then categorized. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Sweden.
The study found that women used four situation-specific strategies: adjustment, avoidance, interaction and acceptance. The same strategies had been found previously in interviews with men with RA. Women and men used these strategies to a similar extent in the ICF domains of mobility; major life arenas; domestic life; interpersonal interactions and relationships; and community, social and civic life. However, some differences were found, relating to the reported activities in self-care and domestic life, in which women reported using strategies to a greater extent than men.
Women and men used four types of situation-specific strategies in managing RA; adjustment, avoidance, interaction and acceptance. These situation-specific strategies provide useful knowledge, in terms of multidisciplinary rehabilitation and for patients' significant others.
本研究探讨了女性在应对类风湿性关节炎（RA）时如何描述她们使用的特定情境策略。研究目的还包括比较女性与男性的策略，并了解他们在多大程度上使用相同的策略。
采用基于关键事件技术的半结构化访谈收集数据。样本包括患有早期风湿性关节炎的女性（n = 34），并将结果与同一队列中先前一项关于男性（n = 25）的研究报告数据进行比较。首先将患者描述的因RA导致的参与限制与《国际功能、残疾和健康分类》（ICF）的领域相关联。然后对所使用的不同策略进行分类。该研究获得了瑞典林雪平大学健康科学学院研究伦理委员会 的批准。
研究发现女性使用了四种特定情境策略：调整、回避、互动和接受。先前在对患有RA的男性的访谈中也发现了相同的策略。在ICF的活动能力、主要生活领域、家庭生活、人际互动与关系以及社区、社会和公民生活等领域，女性和男性使用这些策略的程度相似。然而，也发现了一些差异，涉及自我护理和家庭生活中报告的活动，其中女性报告使用策略的程度高于男性。
女性和男性在应对RA时使用了四种类型的特定情境策略：调整、回避、互动和接受。这些特定情境策略在多学科康复方面以及对患者的重要他人而言提供了有用的知识。
