Shenakht Journal of Psychology & Psychiatry

Introduction: Despite progress in the management of rheumatic diseases, many patients experience anxiety and depression associated with rheumatoid arthritis in addition to pain.
 Aim: In this research, it was assumed that cortical stimulation by (tDCS) reduces the pain intensity in rheumatoid arthritis patients and then anxiety and depression are improved.
Method: The present study employed a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test assessments and a control group. It was conducted during 2024 in the rheumatology departments of Tehran Family Hospital and Shariati Hospital. A total of 30 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. In the intervention group, anodal tDCS was applied over the primary motor cortex (M1; C3–C4), while cathodal stimulation was applied over the supraorbital cortex (SO; FP1–FP2). Participants were evaluated before and after the intervention using the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ-2), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI).
Results: The results demonstrated that tDCS had a significant effect on pain intensity, anxiety, and depression (F = 3.83, p < 0.001). The effect sizes for pain intensity, anxiety, and depression were 0.34, 0.66, and 0.71, respectively.
Conclusion: According to the findings, the therapeutic protocol designed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis significantly reduced the pain intensity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and also improved their anxiety and depression. This treatment can be combined with other rehabilitation strategies as a complementary treatment