Stressful Life Events in the Year Prior to Diagnosis and Associations With Rheumatoid Arthritis Characteristics at Presentation and 1 Year Later
Authors' conclusion
Fifty-two percent of patients with newly diagnosed RA reported stressful life events in the year prior to diagnosis that were associated with worse disability, depression, pain, fatigue, sleep, and well-being, but not SDAI, at diagnosis. Poorer patient-reported outcomes persisted at 1 year despite similar improvements in SDAI.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort, January 2007 to March 2017, with ≥ 12 months of follow-up
- Participants
- 1,933 adults
- Exposure
- Patients reporting ≥1 major stressors in the year prior to diagnosis vs those reporting none
- Outcome
- RA symptoms and function (HAQ-DI, SF-12, sleep, fatigue, pain, PtGA) at diagnosis and at 1 year
- Follow-up
- Diagnosis and 1 year
Methodological detailsmulticentre, inception cohort, adjusted multivariable regression
- Multicentre
- Inception cohort
- Adjusted multivariable regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Prevalence of ≥ 1 stressors in the year prior to diagnosis
Reported ≥ 1 stressors in the year prior to diagnosis
52%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Symptoms, function and Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) at 1 year
- Odds of depression and disability, and ratings of pain, fatigue, poor sleep and PtGA generally increased with increasing number of stressors
- SDAI improved similarly among groups
Original publication
Stressful Life Events in the Year Prior to Diagnosis and Associations With Rheumatoid Arthritis Characteristics at Presentation and 1 Year Later. J Rheumatol. Published 15 January 2026. doi:10.
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