%0 Journal Article %A Aaron D. Crowson %A Robert C. Colligan %A Eric L. Matteson %A John M. Davis III %A Cynthia S. Crowson %T Explanatory Style in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Unrecognized Predictor of Mortality %D 2016 %R 10.3899/jrheum.160026 %J The Journal of Rheumatology %P jrheum.160026 %X Objective To determine whether pessimistic explanatory style altered the risk for and mortality of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods The study included subjects from a population-based cohort with incident RA and a non-RA comparison cohort who completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Results Among 148 RA and 135 non-RA subjects, pessimism was associated with development of rheumatoid factor (RF)–positive RA. Pessimism was associated with an increased risk of mortality [HR 2.88 with similar magnitude to RF+ (HR 2.28)]. Conclusion Pessimistic explanatory style was associated with an increased risk of developing RA and increased mortality rate in patients with RA. %U https://www.jrheum.org/content/jrheum/early/2016/11/09/jrheum.160026.full.pdf