A Cross-Sectional Study of Quality of Life, Treatment Adherence, and Health-Seeking Behavior in Turkish Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Gender and Education as Key Predictors.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the quality of life, treatment adherence, and health-seeking behavior among patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 161 patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis between May 2024 and May 2025. Data were collected using the "Personal Information Form", "Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RAQoL)", "Compliance Questionnaire on Rheumatology (CQR-T)", and the "Health-Seeking Behavior Scale".

Results: The mean age of the participants was 57.94 ± 13.46 years, and 72% were female. The mean duration of symptoms was 12.95 ± 10.06 years, and the mean disease activity score was 6.09±2.59. The analyses showed that lower treatment adherence, greater symptom severity, and female gender had negative effects on quality of life, while higher disease activity had a positive effect (ß = -0.205; ß = -0.284; ß = -0.155; ß = 0.303, respectively). In addition, a decrease in quality of life was found to negatively affect treatment adherence, whereas professional health-seeking behavior improved adherence (ß = -0.164; ß = 0.519). Educational level was also found to have a positive effect on health-seeking behavior (ß = 0.304).

Conclusion: This study highlights the complex interplay of psychosocial, behavioral, and clinical factors influencing quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Specifically, we found that male gender was a significant predictor of better quality of life, while higher education levels were associated with stronger health-seeking behavior. These findings underscore the importance of strengthening treatment adherence, promoting proactive health-seeking behavior, and considering sociodemographic differences such as gender and education in patient care. Moreover, this study is among the first to examine health-seeking behavior alongside quality of life and treatment adherence in RA, providing a unique contribution to the literature. Integrating these factors into management strategies can better support clinicians in improving both health outcomes and quality of life for their patients. This study highlights the complex interplay of psychosocial, behavioral, and clinical factors influencing quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The findings underscore the importance of strengthening treatment adherence, promoting proactive health-seeking behavior, and considering sociodemographic differences such as gender and education in patient care. Moreover, this study is among the first to examine health-seeking behavior alongside quality of life and treatment adherence in RA, providing a unique contribution to the literature. Integrating these factors into management strategies can better support clinicians in improving both health outcomes and quality of life for their patients.