Abstract
Objective
This study investigated the association among corticosteroids, emotional health, physical health, and work/regular activities of daily living in an ethnically diverse sample of women with systemic lupus erythematosus.
Methods
A secondary analysis of data from the Medical University of South Carolina Lupus Database was conducted between confirmed cases of lupus (n = 224) and controls (n = 60). The sample comprised 57 Caucasian Americans, 141 Gullah African Americans (a subpopulation of African Americans from the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia), and 86 non-Gullah African Americans.
Results
Emotional health outcomes were better for women with systemic lupus erythematosus compared with controls. High emotional health scores may be influenced by cultural factors such as masking emotion, disease-coping mechanisms, religion, and strong familial and social support. Although a significant association was not detected between emotional health and work/regular activities of daily living, relationships were significant after adjusting for corticosteroid use.
Conclusion
These findings suggest corticosteroid use does influence the strength of the association between emotional health and work/regular activities of daily living.
Acknowledgments
This project was supported by the Rheumatology and Immunology Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Center, National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) Grant (no AR062755). The contents of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH or NIAMS. This work’s abstract has been presented previously and published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.