The effects of coping on physical and psychosocial adaptation in the 297 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were investigated. The coping methods were divided into compliance of medical regimens, self-control activities, and cognitive control. The effects of these coping methods was analyzed with stepwise regression. The physical adaptation is found to be significantly affected by cognitive control, self-control activities, and compliance of medical regimens in order Compliance of the medical regimens affects negatively the physical adaptation. And psychosocial adaptation is significantly affected by the cognitive control. The analysis of these results by illness duration showed the distinct differences. That is in the patients who experienced the disease less than 48 months, the physical and the psychosocial adaptation were significantly affected only by the cognitive control. But in the patients who experienced the disease more than 96 months, the physical and the psychosocial adaptation were significantly affected by self-control activities. Based upon these results, it is recommended that the nurses who care the newly diagnosed patients emphasize on the positive side of the state. And the patients who are diagnosed long ago need the nursing programs which teach and promote self-control activities. Also it is suggested that the results of compliance must be considered rather than as the result variable.