Psychosocial contributors to mental and physical health in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
OBJECTIVE
To delineate psychosocial and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-related medical factors that contribute to the mental and physical health of SLE patients.


METHODS
In a cross-sectional study, 44 women completed standardized instruments assessing daily hassles, social support, psychologic distress, and quality of life and underwent a physician examination to assess disease activity and disease damage. Four multiple linear regression analyses were computed to identify factors associated with the following outcomes: patient-perceived psychologic distress and global physical health and physician-assessed disease activity and damage. Variables entered into the regression analyses were: hassles severity, types of social support, SLE disease activity and damage, age, disease duration, education, ethnicity, and global psychologic distress (for the outcomes of self-perceived global physical health and disease activity and damage).


RESULTS
The best model explaining global psychologic distress included hassles severity and self-esteem social support. The best model explaining patients' perceptions of their global physical health included hassles severity and tangible social support. Psychologic distress accounted for a significant proportion of variance in both disease activity and damage.


CONCLUSIONS
High stress (assessed by hassles severity), poor social support, and psychologic distress--potentially modifiable variables--are associated with the mental and physical health of SLE patients.
Dobkin
P L
PL
Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Montreal General Hospital, McGill University, Quebec, Canada.
Fortin
P R
PR
Joseph
L
L
Esdaile
J M
JM
Danoff
D S
DS
Clarke
A E
AE
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000523:psychology*; D008603:Mental Health; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological