ASSESSMENT OF STIGMATIZATION IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS USING THE STIGMA SCALE FOR CHRONIC ILLNESSES-SHORT FORM (SSCI-8)

L. Rouached, E. Hannech, S. Bouden, A. Ben Tekaya, R. Tekaya, I. Mahmoud, O. Saidane, L. AbdelmoulaCharles Nicolle Hospital, Rheumatology Department, Tunis, Tunisia Charles Nicolle Hospital, Rheumatology Department, Tunis, Tunisia  Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs among productive patients. It often causes functional disability that can be permanent, with both physical and mental impact. Objectives We aimed to assess the degree of stigmatization and associated factors in patients with RA. Methods This was a cross-sectional study including patients with RA. Sociodemographic, clinical, paraclinical, and therapeutic data were collected. Stigma was assessed using the Stigma Scale for Chronic Illnesses-Short Form (SSCI-8) [1]. This scale is composed of 8 items. Responses for each item are made as follows: 1 = never, 2 = rarely, 3 = sometimes, 4 = often, and 5 = always. The range of raw scores assigned for the SSCI-8 was 8 to 40. The closer the score was to the upper value, the greater the degree of stigma. Results These were 100 RA patients: 81 women (81%) and 19 men (19%). The mean age was 55.33±10.08 years [25-76]. The mean disease duration was 14.21±10.10 years [1-46]. RA was immunopositive in 50% of patients. It was erosive in 75% of cases. Coxitis was present in 6 patients. The mean disease activity measured by DAS28-CRP was 3.81±1.56 [0.12-6.90]. The mean value of functional impairment assessed by HAQ was 0.91±0.64 [0-2.4]. Regarding the SSCI-8 score, the mean value was 17.85±6.02 [8-32]. The stigma score was not correlated with patient age (r=-0.184, p=0.075), nor with age at diagnosis (r=-0.001, p=0.993). It was not statistically different by gender (p=0.648). This score was positively correlated with DAS28 (CRP) (r=0.244, p=0.034). It was not correlated with HAQ (r=0.037, p=0.754). The presence of coxitis and the erosive nature of RA had no influence on stigma (p=0.923, p= 0.895 respectively). Conclusion According to our study, stigma was associated with disease activity during RA. The degree of stigma was not very high in our population, which can be explained by a moderately active disease. Reference [1]Molina Y, Choi SW, Cella D, Rao D. The stigma scale for chronic illnesses 8-item version (SSCI-8): development, validation and use across neurological conditions. Int J Behav Med. 2013 Sep;20(3):450-60. Acknowledgements: NIL. Disclosure of Interests None Declared. Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, Cognitive function, Mental health DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2023-eular.5508Citation: , volume 82, supplement 1, year 2023, page 1289Session: Rheumatoid arthritis - prognosis, predictors and outcome (Publication only)