Abstract

QUICENO, Japcy Margarita  and  VINACCIA ALPI, Stefano. Evolution of Psychological Intervention in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Psicol. caribe [online]. 2011, n.27, pp.160-178. ISSN 0123-417X.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, autoimmune disease that affects the synovial membrane of joints and is a major public health problem because it affects the quality of life of sufferers. Specifically in the last thirty years, health sciences programs have been developing psycho-educational intervention for managing pain, negative emotional states and training in social and physical skills to reduce social and economic impact. Therefore, the present work is intended to show the development of intervention programs in rheumatoid arthritis which have emphasized psychological strategies. It describes the etiopathology of rheumatoid arthritis, the origin and development of early intervention programs that were focused on the cognitive behavioral model to reach the last generation of intervention approaches that have focused on open emotional expression of negative affect. It ends by highlighting the importance of developing intervention programs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis based on the empowerment of positive emotions, resilience and other variables derived from positive psychology.

Keywords : Rheumatoid arthritis; psychological intervention; cognitive behavioral model; resilience; emotional expression..

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