Understanding the role of basic psychological needs and agency in the mental well-being of rheumatoid arthritis patients: An exploratory research

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease, accompanied by disability and chronic pain, therefore psychological problems and impaired health-related quality of life are common among patients. Maintaining mental health and well-being strongly depends on retaining previous meaningful, autonomous activities and accepting reliance on others. The Self-Determination Theory (SDT) provides considerable evidence that the fulfilled needs of competence, relatedness, and autonomy universally foster psychological well-being. This paper identifies the themes of basic psychological needs and the narrative categorical content analysis of key life story episodes involving 34 RA patients. Our findings contribute to understanding how people living with RA interpret their living conditions in terms of SDT-related needs and motivational factors. Further consciousness of the role of basic psychological needs during adaptation to illness and the clinical implications of the conclusion promote better patient-centered care in practice.