[Polyarthritis patients with and without detected rheumatoid factor: a comparison of the psychological personality].

The study examined again the question whether the presence of rheumatoid factor in rheumatoid arthritis (rh.A.) patients has a bearing on their personality scores. For this purpose 20 seropositive rh.A. patients were compared by means of the FPI-R (Freiburg Personality Inventory) with 20 rh.A. patients in whom the rheumatoid factor was absent. Groups were matched for sex and age; severity and duration of disease were taken into account as covariates. The covariates showed significant correlations with some personality variables. Diagnostic subgroups, however, did not differ in any of the FPI scales.