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Increased levels of anxiety and depression are commonly reported by patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in comparison to the general population. Rather than the clinical features of the disease, this difference has been attributed to psychosocial factors. Patients with RA can develop joint swelling and disfigurement as a direct result of the disease, and experience concerns about their altered appearance. This study aimed to identify if appearance‐specific issues contribute to our understanding of mood in RA, over and above demographic, functional and generalized psychosocial measures.

A total of 89 patients with RA completed a series of psychosocial questionnaires measuring demographics, physical function, general cognitive processes and a number of appearance‐specific concepts, to determine the contribution of appearance concerns to mood.

Hierarchical linear …