STRESS, DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY PREDICT AVERAGE SYMPTOM SEVERITY AND DAILY SYMPTOM FLUCTUATION IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS

Forty-one subjects diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) w ere recruited from across the United States. Regressions were conducte d to evaluate the relation among stress, depression, anxiety, anger, a nd SLE symptom complaints. Negative weighting of major life events pre dicted symptom history. Significant heirarchical regressions using neg ative weighting of major life events, impact of daily stress, depressi on, anxiety, and anger were found for severity of joint pain, abdomina l distress, and rash. Analyses using 1-day-lagged predictors yielded s imilar results. Within-subject analyses suggested that there was much individual variability in the strength of the stress-illness relation. Thus, some individuals appeared to be stress responders, while others did not. Findings for impact of minor life events and depression were consistent across the different levels of analyses. It was concluded that stress, depression, anxiety, and anger are associated with, and m ay exacerbate, self-reported symptomatology of SLE patients.