Abstract
Background and aims: Patients with Juvenile-onset Systemic lupus erythematosus (jSLE) have to overcome the burden of unpredictable and disabling disorder. Coping strategies influence patient’s ability to cope with negative emotions, treatment exigencies and physical impairment related with the disease. Our aim was to explore the relationship between coping mechanisms and the presence of anxiety and depression.
Methods: Thirty jSLE patients answered the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Questionnaire (HADS) and the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS).
Results: Clinically relevant anxiety (63.3%) and depressive symptoms (13.3%) were present in the jSLE patients. Our population showed higher coping scores for problem-focused (0,7±0,2), emotion-focused (0,6±0,2) and social supported coping (0,5±0,2), than avoidant coping (0,3± 0,1). Higher depression scores and lower subjective happiness levels correlated with higher anxiety scores (r=0.673, p=0.000 and r=0.592, p=0.001, respectively). Problem focused coping was associated with higher self-reported happiness (r=0.564, p=0.002) and avoidant coping was positively correlated with higher number of anxious symptoms (r=0.560, p=0.002).
Conclusions: These results underscore the relevance of psychological assessment in jSLE patients. Adaptive coping strategies led to greater happiness, while avoidant coping strategies were associated with higher anxiety. Teaching of adaptive coping mechanisms, in combination with other interventions are likely to enhance the patients’ ability to respond to the multiple physical, social and emotional challenges imposed by this autoimmune disorder.
- Copyright © 2021 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.
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