Body Image, Feeling Loneliness, and Suicidal Thoughts among Elderly People with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Document Type : Scientific peer reviewed journal

Authors

1 Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Benha University

2 Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Menofia University

Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis affects the patient’s perception of his/her owns body. The
aim of the study
was to examine the relationship between body image, feeling of loneliness and
suicidal thoughts among elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Design: A descriptive
correlational design was utilized to achieve the aims of the study.
Setting: This study was
conducted at the outpatient’s clinics of Dr/ Hassan Awad (Health Insurance) Benha City.
Sample:
A convenience sample type of 120 elderly people with rheumatoid arthritis from rheumatology
clinic at the previously mentioned setting.
The tools of data collection: Were interview
questionnaire about socio demographic and disease characteristics of the subjects, interviewing
questionnaire sheet to examine patient’s perception to their body image, Loneliness Scale to
examine the level of loneliness, Suicidal Thought Scale to evaluate patient suicidal thoughts.
Results: Near to one third of the studied subjects had high level of body image, less than half of the
studied patients had high level of loneliness and the minority of the studied patients had suicidal
thoughts.
Conclusion: The studied patients had disturbed body image, high level of loneliness.
There was a positive highly statistically significant correlation between total score of body image
with total score of feeling loneliness and total score of suicidal thoughts.
Recommendations:
Patients' education should be aimed at strengthening body image and social life, the need to target
interventions not only to patients but also to their family members and health professionals to
recognize disturbed body image and feeling of loneliness.


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