Table 2 Categories and subcategories of Self-Care experiences in patients with rheumatoid Arthritis.

Active self-management

Adherence to treatment

Symptom mitigation and regulation

Embracing a health-conscious lifestyle

Maintaining mental health

Dynamic coexistence with the disease

Challenges and deterrents to self-care

Information ambiguity and misconceptions

Healthcare system inefficiencies

Financial constraints

Multiple roles

Cultural and social challenges

Lack of social support

Negative self-concept

Enduring and erosive burden of chronic disease

Empowering resources for self-care

Intrinsic motivation and purposefulness

Empowering support

Conscious insight into self-care

Responsibility for self-reclamation

Self-care needs and demands

Empowering knowledge and skills

Internal resilience skills

Accessible and responsive healthcare

Rehabilitation services and support

Integrating new technologies

Emotional paradoxes in self-care

Conflict between healthy and illness identity

Conflict between dependency and self-sufficiency

Contradictory responses to disease trajectory

Delicate balance of fear and hope