An Inquiry to the Causal Perceptions & Emotions of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

류마티스 관절염 환자의 원인지각에 대한 연구 - Q방법론적 접근 -

This study was undertaken to find out the causal perception of rheumatoid arthritis patients, and to understand the typology. The Q-population consisted of 236 statements of causal perception were collected. Thirty eight Q-samples of causal perception were selected. The P-sample for this study were made up of 28 first visiting female rheumatoid arthritis patients from a rheumatoid arthritis specialty hospital. Each respondent responded Q-set of causal perception according to 9-point scale. The result of Q-sorting were coded and analyzed using QUANL PC program. 1) Typological Observation on Causal Perception (1) Physical Fatigue Type : Type 1 perceived that the illness occurred due to excessive work requiring physical labor or strain that had occurred from not resting after excessive physical labor, therefore, thinking the origin of the illness was from physical strain. (2) Physical origin Type : Type 2 perceived that the major cause for the illness is not only excessive physical labour but also fecundity and old age. (3) Causality to Environment Type : Type 3 perceived that rheumatoid arthritis occurred from injury to the joints or bad and humid weather. (4) Conscience of Guilty Type : Type 4 consisted of people with guilty conscience for lack of religious commitment. They perceived that the illness was a punishment from God for not praying or because of bad luck. (5) Rationally Perceiving Type : People who belong in type 5 perceived the cause of illness in light of scientific facts such as genetics, unbalanced diet or lack of exercise. (6) Psychological Stress Type : People who belong in type 6 believed that excessive stress was the cause of the illness. 2) Emotions of Rheumatoid arthritis patients Rheumatoid arthritis patients' positive emotions included determination, courage, coping, acceptance, hope, and adoption ; and their negative emotions were prostration, worry, stupor, conflicts, grievance, giving-up, resignation, depression, loss, solitariness, fear, anxiety, avoidance, anger and loneliness. Rheumatoid arthritis patients experience different level of emotions from their suffering experience from the severe pains. Rheumatoid arthritis patients also experience negative emotions when they could not perform self-care and lose their self-esteem from painful suffering ; however, they regain positive emotions when they recover from pain with the use of drugs, physical therapy or exercise. Their emotional states are closely connected to level of and presence of pain.