A controlled longitudinal study of the social functioning of children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Objective: To complete an assessment of social functioning of children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) and nonchronically ill controls who had been evaluated 2 years earlier (Noll et al., 2000) and to examine the impact of disease severity or disease activity over time on the social functioning of children with JRA.

Methods: Peer-, teacher-, and self-reports of social functioning were obtained from 57 children with JRA and 63 controls. Social reputation and social acceptance were examined cross-sectionally and longitudinally.

Results: Cross-sectional analyses indicated no significant differences between children with JRA and controls on measures of social functioning. For children with more severe disease, like ratings declined over the 2-year period relative to children with mild disease. Children with active disease were chosen fewer times over the 2-year period as a best friend than children in remission.

Conclusions: Because children with severe or active JRA may be at risk for difficulties with social acceptance over time, they are appropriate targets for interventions that ameliorate or prevent these difficulties.