This investigation evaluated two cognitive behavioral interventions, one of which involved a contingent model of family support, in the management of pain and other symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These conditions were compared with an education with family support group and a no-treatment group on measures of pain, disease activity, and psychological status over a six-week treatment period and a two-month follow-up. The behavioral interventions demonstrated significantly greater improvement in joint exam pain at follow-up, and reduced swelling severity and number of swollen joints at posttreatment and follow-up when contrasted with the two control conditions. The behavioral intervention with family support was superior to all other conditions combined on swelling measures at posttreatment, but did not differ from the behavior therapy without family group at follow-up. The results provide evidence for the effectiveness of brief behavioral interventions in reducing RA disease activity, and demonstrate the potential usefulness of including family members in pain treatment using a behavioral framework.

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