Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Patients with inflammatory arthritis were especially vulnerable to the psychosocial and health impacts of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the lockdowns. This study investigated the impact of these changes on mental health, physical health and quality of life for inflammatory arthritis patients over 1 year following the initial lockdown in the UK. METHODS: Three hundred and thirty-eight participants with inflammatory arthritis completed an ambidirectional study consisting of online questionnaires at four time points for 1 year. The questionnaires assessed demographic information, inflammatory arthritis condition, mental health, physical symptoms, self-management behaviours, COVID-19 status and impacts. Means, linear regressions and structural equation modelling for mediations were conducted over 12 months. RESULTS: Physical health concerns peaked during June 2020, then declined, but did not return to baseline. Depression was associated with worse quality of life at baseline, as shown by the beta coefficient, (β= 0.94, P < 0.01), September (β = 0.92, P < 0.01), November (β= 0.77, P < 0.01) and 1 year (β = 0.77, P < 0.01). Likewise, anxiety was associated with worse quality of life at baseline (β = 1.92, P < 0.01), September (β = 2.06, P < 0.01), November (β = 1.66, P = 0.03) and 1 year (β = 1.51, P = 0.02). The association between depression and quality of life was mediated by physical activity (β= 0.13, P < 0.01) at baseline. The association between anxiety and quality of life was also mediated by physical activity (β = 0.25, P = 0.04) at baseline. CONCLUSION: Physical health continued to be worse 1 year later compared with before the COVID-19 lockdowns in patients with inflammatory arthritis. Mental health showed long-term effects on quality of life, with an impact for ≥12 months. Lastly, physical activity mediated between mental health and quality of life in the short term.