ABSTRACT

The quality of life of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is very poor due to pain or weakness. This study was to examine the relationship between quality of life and suicidal ideation based on the medical history and age of middle-aged and older RA patients, and it was conducted with the aim of exploring nursing interventions to improve the quality of life of RA patients. The research participants were 1,546 community dwellers (297 men & 1,249 women) who aged 40 years or older with RA among the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) respondents from 2007 to 2020, while the research data were a part of the KNHANES’ raw data which composed of 15 questions; demographic data of the patients, disease-related characteristics, suicide-related information, and responses of the EQ-5D scale. The results showed that the RA patients who reported to have suicidal ideation were about 15.8% of them (n=244), and their data analyzed the risk of suicidal ideation depending on the patients’ medical history or age through logistic regression analyses. Regardless of the patient’s age or medical history, the more discomfort caused by RA, the greater the risk of suicidal thoughts. As for the older patients, the overall pain and discomfort were more severe than the younger patients. It means that quality of life of people who suffer from RA in old age might become poorer due to both RA itself and senility. Thus, the need for nursing intervention that can maintain and enhance physical activity-related exercise skills of RA patients was highlighted in the context of improving the quality of life for hospitalized as well as community-dwelling patients.