Illness Identity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background: We examined the degree to which adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) integrated their illness into their identity and linked illness identity to important patient-reported outcomes.

Methods: A total of 109 adults with IBD, aged 18 to 60 (M = 35.93; 77% women) completed questionnaires on the four illness identity dimensions (rejection, acceptance, engulfment, and enrichment), medication adherence, depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, health status, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Treatment adherence in systemic sclerosis: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Treatment adherence is an important medical and pharmaco-economical phenomenon, influenced by multiple variables. Treatment adherence in systemic sclerosis (SSc) has been poorly studied.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess treatment adherence in SSc patients and to identify factors associated with good and poor adherence.

Prospective associations between illness perceptions and health outcomes in patients with systemic sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus: a cross-lagged analysis.

Objective: Perceptions of patients with SLE and SSc are strongly associated with physical and psychological outcomes. This interplay is not yet fully understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the prospective associations between illness perceptions and depressive symptoms, anxiety, perceived health status and disease activity in SLE and SSc patients.

Illness Identity in Adults with a Chronic Illness.

The present study examines the concept of illness identity, the degree to which a chronic illness is integrated into one's identity, in adults with a chronic illness by validating a new self-report questionnaire, the Illness Identity Questionnaire (IIQ). Self-report questionnaires on illness identity, psychological, and physical functioning were assessed in two samples: adults with congenital heart disease (22-78 year old; n = 276) and with multisystem connective tissue disorders (systemic lupus erythematosus or systemic sclerosis; 17-81 year old; n = 241). The IIQ could differentiate four illness identity states (i.

Modifiable correlates of illness perceptions in adults with chronic somatic conditions: A systematic review.

When individuals become ill, they want to understand and give meaning to their illness. The interpretation of this illness experience, or illness perception, is influenced by a range of individual, contextual, and cultural factors. Some of these factors may be modifiable by nursing interventions.

Illness representations of systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic sclerosis: a comparison of patients, their rheumatologists and their general practitioners.

Objective: Discrepancies in illness representations between patients and physicians result in treatment difficulties, decreased well-being of patients and misunderstandings and disrupted communication. Hence, the objective of this study was to compare illness perceptions of individual patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis (SSc), their rheumatologists and their general practitioners (GPs) and explore potential differences.

Methods: This study has a cross-sectional design.

Diverging illness perceptions between physicians about patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic sclerosis: a vignette-based study.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) are complex chronic auto-immune diseases characterized by multiple organ involvement, comorbidities, and complications. This complexity results in a need for a multidisciplinary management and treatment of SLE and SSc by physicians from a number of medical disciplines, all of who may have different perceptions concerning the condition of a particular patient. The aim of this study was to explore differences in physicians' perceptions on the illness of SLE and SSc patients.

Development and preliminary evaluation of the validity and reliability of a revised illness perception questionnaire for healthcare professionals.

Background: Diverging perceptions between individual patients with somatic diseases and their healthcare professionals might cause problems in communication and decision-making. To date, no measurement tool is available to compare the illness perceptions between these two groups. The Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) is a validated, widely used instrument in many patient populations with somatic conditions.

Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) Special Interest Group at OMERACT 11: outcomes of importance for patients with PMR.

We worked toward developing a core outcome set for clinical research studies in polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) by conducting (1) patient consultations using modified nominal group technique; (2) a systematic literature review of outcome measures in PMR; (3) a pilot observational study of patients presenting with untreated PMR, and further discussion with patient research partners; and (4) a qualitative focus group study of patients with PMR on the meaning of stiffness, using thematic analysis. (1) Consultations included 104 patients at 4 centers. Symptoms of PMR included pain, stiffness, fatigue, and sleep disturbance.

The Belgian Systemic Sclerosis Cohort: correlations between disease severity scores, cutaneous subsets, and autoantibody profile.

Objective: To report baseline and followup data on the first 438 patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) included in the Belgian Systemic Sclerosis Cohort.

Methods: According to LeRoy and Medsger's classification, 73 patients with limited SSc (lSSc), 279 with limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc), and 86 with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) were included. History was collected and clinical examination, blood tests, and paraclinical investigations were repeated.

The association of illness perceptions with physical and mental health in systemic sclerosis patients: an exploratory study.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between illness perceptions and the ability to cope with physical and mental health problems in a large cohort of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in 217 systemic sclerosis patients from the Belgian Systemic Sclerosis Cohort. Illness perception and coping were measured by the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire and a coping questionnaire--the Coping Orientation of Problem Experience inventory (COPE).

Validation of a manual ability questionnaire in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Objective: To adapt and validate a manual ability questionnaire, the ABILHAND, developed through the Rasch methodology in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods: The original version of the ABILHAND, which includes 81 manual daily activities, was presented to 156 patients with SSc. They were asked to provide their perceived difficulty in performing each manual activity on a 3-level scale: impossible, difficult, or easy.