The effect of person-centered counseling on the psychological status of persons with systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized, controlled trial.

Tested the effectiveness of a nondirective, telephone-based, person-centered counseling intervention (NTPCI) for improving the psychological status (PSS) of persons with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who had been attending clinics at a tertiary care center. The design was a parallel-group, randomized, controlled study comparing an NTPCI (8 SLE, 28 RA Ss) with usual care (7 SLE, 30 RA Ss). The Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales were used to measure psychological dysfunction, physical dysfunction and pain at baseline and at follow-up. NTPCI was shown to significantly improve the PSS of the SLE Ss, in contrast to usual care. However, there was no evidence of a benefit for RA Ss or of improvements in physical function or pain for persons with either disease. Thus, person-centered counseling may be an effective intervention for improving the PSS of persons with SLE, but may not be so for those with RA. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)