Effects of illness perception on negative emotions and fatigue in chronic rheumatic diseases: Rumination as a possible mediator

Figure 1 Direct and indirect models of the relationship between illness perception and negative emotions/fatigue. In Model A, a relationship between illness perception and negative emotions/fatigue is assumed by “c”. The “c path” refers to a significant relationship between the predictor (X) and the outcome (Y) when indirect effects were not considered. In Model B, the “a path” refers to the relationship between the predictor (X) and the mediator (M). The “b path” refers to the relationship between the mediator (M) and the outcome variable (Y). When M is included in the model, the relationship between illness perception and negative emotions/fatigue is mediated by M and is assumed by “c”.