RA n=432 | axSpA n=240 | Total population n=672 | p Value | |
Fears related to the progression and consequences of the disease | ||||
I am afraid of suffering like I did before | 6.4±3.4 | 6.9±3.3 | 6.6±3.4 | 0.082 |
I am afraid that my disease will progress quickly | 5.0±3.4 | 6.0±3.2 | 5.4±3.4 | <0.001 |
I am afraid that my spine or some of my bones will fuse together | 4.1±3.6 | 6.4±3.4 | 5.0±3.7 | <0.001 |
I am afraid I won’t get any help if I lose my autonomy | 4.4±3.7 | 4.9±3.7 | 4.6±3.7 | 0.066 |
I am afraid I won’t be able to cope with my daily tasks | 6.3±3.2 | 6.9±2.9 | 6.5±3.1 | 0.028 |
I am afraid I will be considered as a disabled person | 4.9±3.8 | 5.4±3.7 | 5.1±3.7 | 0.118 |
I am afraid that a time will arrive when no treatment will work for me anymore | 5.2±3.8 | 6.3±3.7 | 5.6±3.8 | <0.001 |
Fears related to treatment | ||||
I am afraid of the side effects of treatment for my disease | 6.0±3.2 | 6.3±3.1 | 6.1±3.2 | 0.245 |
I am afraid that treatments for my disease may cause cancer | 4.1±3.6 | 4.8±3.5 | 4.4±3.6 | 0.013 |
I am afraid that treatments for my disease will become less effective | 5.7±3.3 | 6.6±2.9 | 6.0±3.2 | 0.001 |
Probability values were determined using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
axSpA, axial spondyloarthritis; FAIR, Fear Assessment in Inflammatory Rheumatic diseases; RA, rheumatoid arthritis.