Background and purpose: Positive and negative affects are described as oscillating reactions constantly influenced by thinking style and cognition. This issue is believed to be one of the concerns of researchers in the field of health in recent years. Different studies emphasize the correlation of these affects with pain and believe that individual differences play an important role. The aim of this survey is to investigate the relationship between positive and negative affect with pain in women with rheumatoid arthritis according to the existing theoretical frameworks. Moreover, this study investigates the impacts of individual differences on mood clarity and its relationship with affects. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 194 women suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. They participated in initial assessments regarding demographic variables. Then they were interviewed during 12 to 20 weeks. Weekly assessments on pain, mood clarity and evaluation of positive and negative affects were done. Afterwards, the data was analyzed using hierarchical multilevel modeling. Results: Results of this study showed that when there was a positive affect a significant reduction was found for the relationship between pain and negative affect (P<0.01). Interaction between pain and positive affect predicted less negative affect (P<0.01). The increase of positive affect in patients with high mood clarity resulted in decrease of negative affect (P<0.01). Conclusion: Through the findings of this survey we can suggest that positive affect and mood clarity are effective factors in individuals coping and may help patients bare the pain and reduce the related stress.

Keywords: Positive affect, Negative Âffect, Mood clarity, Rheumatoid Ârthiritis

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