Fifty rheumatoid patients were given the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS) in order to determine the contribution of clinical and demographic variables to the overall disability. Among the clinical variables, pain intensity and depression were carefully assessed along with the classic morning stiffness and the joint count and tenderness/Ritchie's index. Two main findings arose: age contributed on its own to the overall disability, while disease duration had no significant effects; joint count and tenderness (Ritchie's index) correlated in a highly significant manner with depression as derived from the AIMS subscale and the Zung Depression Inventory (ZDI). ZDI items were separated into a "somatic factor" and a "dysphoric factor", showing a clear-cut influence of the somatic factor on the disability score. Our results suggest that age of the patient, pain intensity and a depressive mood related to physical impairment are chief predictive factor of the overall disability in rheumatoid arthritis.