Maintaining good mental health in people with inflammatory arthritis: a qualitative study of patients' perspectives.

PURPOSE

It is well-documented that people with inflammatory arthritis (IA) exhibit a high prevalence of symptoms related to anxiety and depression. Less is known about what contributes to good mental health in people with IA. Therefore, this study aims to explore how some patients maintain good mental health despite living with IA.

METHODS

Explorative qualitative interview study (one focus group, 12 individual interviews,  = 18) utilizing purposeful sampling. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and managed using NVivo14 and employed a reflexive thematical analysis approach.

RESULTS

We identified four main themes: 1) -how participants' inherent positivity helped them cope with arthritis; 2) -how participants embraced the reality of living with IA; 3) how the participants structured their lives in terms of physical activity and social connections; and 4) -how the participants were mindful of their bodies and took the initiative to explore new treatments.

CONCLUSION

People living with IA maintain good mental health by engaging in structured physical activity, fostering social connections, and cultivating a positive outlook on life. These insights can inform the development of future treatment and support strategies.