Table 3

Stepwise multiple regression analysis of determinants of physical health related QOL of patients with RA and AS

	Rheumatoid arthritis					Ankylosing spondylitis
	Partial correlation†					Partial correlation†
	Step 1	Step 2	Step 3	Step 4	Step 5	Step 1	Step 2	Step 3	Step 4	Step 5
p<0.05; p<0.01; **p<0.001.
†Partial correlation coefficients of the independent variables after adjustment of the other independent variables in the model.
Block 1—Demographics
Age	−0.19***	−0.10**	−0.01	−0.00	−0.02	−0.14**	−0.08*	−0.05	−0.05	−0.06
Sex	−0.11**	−0.00	−0.01	−0.02	0.01	−0.10*	−0.03	0.02	0.02	0.03
Educational level	0.11**	0.02	−0.05	−0.06	−0.04	0.29***	0.22***	0.14**	0.16**	0.13**
Block 2—Work
Paid employment		0.29***	0.19**	0.11**	0.11**		0.38***	0.29***	0.19***	0.19***
Block 3—Disease related characteristics
Disease duration			−0.11**	−0.10*	−0.11**			0.00	0.00	0.00
Disease activity			−0.66***	−0.66***	−0.56***			−0.59***	−0.54***	−0.44***
Comorbidity			−0.09**	−0.08**	−0.06			−0.07	−0.06*	−0.04
Block 4—Coping
Coping with pain:
Comforting cognition				–	–				−0.01	−0.01
Decreasing activities				−0.23***	−0.17***				−0.27***	−0.23***
Diverting attention				0.10**	0.08*				0.08	0.07
Coping with limitations
Optimism				0.07	0.03				–	–
Pacing				–	–				–	–
Creative solutions				−0.10**	−0.12**				−0.07	−0.09*
Coping with dependence
Accepting				−0.14***	−0.16***				0.03	−0.04
Considering others				−0.03	0.02				−0.04	−0.03
Block 5—Fatigue
General fatigue					–0.29***					−0.24***
Total R²	0.06	0.14	0.53	0.59	0.62	0.12	0.25	0.52	0.57	0.59
Incremental R²	0.06***	0.08***	0.39***	0.06***	0.03***	0.12***	0.13***	0.27***	0.05***	0.02***