Abstract: The present study tested the reformulated model of Learned Helplessness using a prospective cohort of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) outpatients. The study addressed a number of shortfalls in the literature, namely the need to measure preexisting trait perceived control tendencies and to use multiple measures of health status---the non-contingency event in the case of RA. The study also extended research in this area by assessing medication adherence as an outcome of learned helplessness. The study proposed an extended version of the reformulated model of Learned Helplessness in RA. A total of 175 outpatients, age 18 years or older, with a diagnosis of RA were contacted for recruitment into the study. Of those contacted, 76 qualified for participation and agreed to take part in a 6-month prospective study. Participants were initially contacted by mail to inform them that their Rheumatologist had referred them to the principal investigator to take part in this study. Those that agreed to participate were sent a package of questionnaires by mail (including informed consent) and subsequently interviewed twice in 10 days regarding their medication intake for their arthritis condition. Additionally, an audit of the participant's medical chart was conducted by a research fellow to verify the diagnosis of RA, obtain the patient's medication regimen, and assess their health status. Participants were contacted again after 6 months to complete the same protocol. The proposed model of Learned Helplessness in RA was tested using a variety of analytic techniques. The analysis consisted of first testing the assumptions of the model by evaluating the predicted linkages between variables (correlations), then testing the mediation effect of arthritis helplessness on the outcome variables (depressed mood and medication adherence) using structural equation modeling (SEM). The overall results indicated that the model fit the data well when evaluated at Time 1, Time 2, and prospectively using a combination of Time 1 predictors (and mediator) and Time 2 outcomes. Future studies should further explore outcomes such as medication adherence to enable both researchers and clinicians to understand and intervene on behalf of RA patients, decreasing the likelihood of helplessness-related deficits.