Case Control Study
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World J Clin Cases. Dec 6, 2022; 10(34): 12515-12531
Published online Dec 6, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i34.12515
Effects of illness perception on negative emotions and fatigue in chronic rheumatic diseases: Rumination as a possible mediator
Yanxia Lu, Xia Jin, Li-Wei Feng, CSK Tang, Michelle Neo, Roger C Ho
Yanxia Lu, Department of Medical Psychology and Ethics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China
Xia Jin, The Third Hospital of Jinan, Jinan 250132, Shandong Province, China
Li-Wei Feng, College of Education for the Future, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, Guangdong Province, China
CSK Tang, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National University of Singapore, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Singapore 117570, Singapore
Michelle Neo, Roger C Ho, Department of Psychological Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore
Author contributions: Lu Y acquired the funding, performed data analysis and wrote the manuscript; Ho RC and Tang C designed the study and corrected the manuscript; Neo M performed the majority of experiments; and all authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: The study was approved by the National Healthcare Group Ethics Committee (reference number: DSRB E/10/228) and written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: Original data are available by contacting the corresponding author of this paper.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Li-Wei Feng, College of Education for the Future, Beijing Normal University, No. 18 Jinfeng Road, Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai 519087, Guangdong Province, China. flw4511272@163.com
Received: May 5, 2022
Peer-review started: May 5, 2022
First decision: July 14, 2022
Revised: August 6, 2022
Accepted: November 2, 2022
Article in press: November 2, 2022
Published online: December 6, 2022
Processing time: 211 Days and 8.1 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: The present study investigated the association of multiple components of illness perception and psychological outcomes (fatigue and negative emotions) in patients with chronic rheumatic diseases, as well as the potential mediating role of rumination in this relationship. The results showed that perceived identity, chronicity and consequences of illness were significantly associated with fatigue and negative emotions, and these associations were mediated by rumination. Identification of the mediating role of rumination has important implications clinically for developing cognitive interventions for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.