Corbo, Kalaina
(2021)
Association of number of comorbidities and health-related quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Undergraduate Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive inflammatory disease that is associated with multiple comorbidities. This study investigated the association between total number of comorbidities and patients’ health-related quality of life represented by physical component summary score (PCS) and mental component summary score (MCS), while controlling for rheumatoid arthritis disease activity (RADAI). This study was a cross-sectional, descriptive correlational study and secondary analysis of existing data. A partial correlation was done for the associations between Total Comorbidities and PCS and MCS, while controlling for disease activity. The results showed that Total Comorbidities and PCS were significantly but weakly negatively correlated (r=-0.228, p<0.001), while Total Comorbidities and MCS were not significantly correlated (r=-0.041, p=0.315). When RADAI was removed as a control variable, the correlations between Total Comorbidities and PCS improved slightly (r=-0.314, p<0.001) and Total Comorbidities and MCS became significantly but very weakly negatively correlated (r=-0.098, p=0.017). RADAI was then investigated as both a moderating and mediating variable in the relationship between Total Comorbidities and PCS and MCS. RADAI was not found to be a moderator; however, mediation analysis showed that there was an indirect mediating effect of RADAI on both PCS and MCS. Increasing disease activity decreased both PCS and MCS, but PCS was more affected. The mediation analysis also showed that there was a significant direct effect of Total Comorbidities on PCS (p<0.001), but it was reduced compared to the total effect, which demonstrated the mediating effects of RADAI. In contrast, while the total effect of Total Comorbidities on MCS was significant (p=0.0167), when the mediating effect of RADAI was removed, the direct effect of Total Comorbidities on MCS was not significant (p=0.3153). This result implies that the apparent association between Total Comorbidities and MCS was largely due to the mediating effect of RADAI. These results suggest that PCS is more directly affected by increases in comorbidities than MCS and emphasizes the importance of treating comorbidities as well as the RA disease in order to improve physical health-related quality of life for patients.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
26 March 2021 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
22 October 2020 |
| Approval Date: |
26 March 2021 |
| Submission Date: |
11 November 2020 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
58 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
David C. Frederick Honors College
School of Nursing > Nursing |
| Degree: |
BSN - Bachelor of Science in Nursing |
| Thesis Type: |
Undergraduate Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Quality of Life, Physical Quality of Life, Mental Quality of Life, Disease Activity, Comorbidities |
| Date Deposited: |
26 Mar 2021 17:40 |
| Last Modified: |
26 Mar 2021 17:40 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/39878 |
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