Survey of self-management and support preferences for men with RA
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Men’s experiences of living with and managing rheumatoid arthritis and preferences for self-management services: A survey study
IRAS ID
180580
Contact name
Caroline Flurey
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of the West of england
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 7 days
Research summary
Men cope with stress and illness differently to women. For example, whilst women talk to friends about their worries, men are more likely to manage alone. Men are taught to value traditional masculine ideals (e.g. physical strength). These ideals can be challenged by rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which limits physical strength, ability and stamina. Men can therefore find it hard to ask for help if they are struggling to manage their RA. As there are more female than male RA patients, current support has been designed for female patients' needs (e.g. group sessions that include discussing feelings).
Men with RA will be asked to complete two questionnaires. The first questionnaire will ask them questions about themselves (e.g. age, marital status) and about their RA (e.g. how long they've had their RA for) to provide context. The first questionnaire will also ask them about their own experience of RA and the questions will be based on our findings from our previous studies with men who have RA. The first questionnaire will also measure how the men with RA are coping and how much they have accepted their RA. Finally the first questionnaire will measure these male participants' levels of depression, anxiety, mental well-being and perceived stress. The second questionnaire will contain questions about their preferences for self-management services. The purpose of this is to understand more about the experiences, coping styles and preferences for support of men with RA.
Women with RA will be asked to complete one questionnaire. This questionnaire will ask them about themselves and about their RA to provide context. It will also ask them about their preferences for self-management services. The purpose of this is to compare the preferences for self-management services of women with RA to men with RA.
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EM/0211
Date of REC Opinion
7 May 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion