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This study is part of a longitudinal research aimed at analyzing the maintenance of negative emotional states in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) during the first 2 years of disease progression. The specific aims of the present study were to examine the associations between social support 1 year after RA diagnosis, acceptance and depression symptoms report 2 years after RA, and also examined the moderation effect of acceptance on the relationship between social support reported 1 year after RA diagnosis and depression 2 years after. The study has a longitudinal design. A battery of self-report questionnaires was completed by 55 individuals with early RA recruited from three health units in Portugal. Each participant completed an assessment battery that evaluated social support (AIMS2), depression (DASS) and acceptance (CPAQ). Data were analyzed with path models using AMOS 18.0 software. Social support 1 year after diagnosis directly correlate with depression report 2 years after RA diagnosis. Our results also show that acceptance was negatively associated with depression 2 years after the diagnosis. The path-analysis performed show that when the interaction between social support and acceptance was entered on the model, it produces a significant increase in the model prediction, showing an expressive depression. Acceptance seems to play a significant buffer effect on the relationship between social support 1 year after RA diagnosis on depression symptoms reported 2 years after the diagnosis. This means that it is mainly in those individuals with low levels of acceptance where the social support deficits impact on depression is greater.
