Using the Social Identity Model of Identity Change to Explore Social Role Participation, Identity, and Satisfaction with Life Among U.S. Adults with Osteoarthritis

Background and purpose: Osteoarthritis (OA) is an incurable chronic condition and the leading cause of work disability worldwide. The pathological symptoms and clinical representations of OA have been well studied but the social and psychological consequences of the disease are less understood. Therefore, the overall aim of this study was to gain an understanding of the extent to which factors following OA diagnosis (role limitations, expectations about treatment, and OA knowledge) relate to identity and life satisfaction for adults 18-79 years old.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey study through ResearchMatch was conducted. The researcher utilized an adapted version of the Social Identity Model of Identity Change (SIMIC) to investigate associations between post-diagnostic factors, role salience identity changes, and satisfaction with life. Three research questions were addressed via various regression-based statistical analyses. 1) To what extent are post-diagnosis factors associated with changes in self-reported identity (Hierarchical linear regression)? 2) To what extent is the change in self-reported identity associated with satisfaction with life (Multiple linear regression)? 3) To what extent do social support and satisfaction with role performance affect the association between post-OA identity and satisfaction with life (Moderated Moderation analysis)?

Results: The final sample consisted of 193 U.S. adults with osteoarthritis. Findings of the hierarchical linear regression and multiple linear regression analyses respectively suggest that role limitations associated with OA significantly contributed to explaining variations in role salience identity and that change in role salience identity and satisfaction with life are positively related. The moderated moderation analysis highlighted that the conditional effects of specific values of satisfaction with role performance and social support warrant further investigation.

Conclusions and Implications: OA-inflicted role limitations pose a threat to healthy identity adaptations while living with the disease. Social work practice considerations emphasize interdisciplinary collaboration and intervention development to address the psychosocial aspects of OA. Given the overwhelming prevalence of OA, future research should also consider knowledge gaps in social work education and effective interventions to mitigate social role limitations' effects on the wellbeing of individuals with OA.