Participants with systemic lupus erythematosus and a history of trauma reported significantly higher levels of perceived stress, according to a recent study.

Researchers examined the effects of positive psychosocial factors, such as resilience, self-efficacy, and emotional support, on perceived stress among 242 participants with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) from the California Lupus Epidemiology Study. The cross-sectional analysis found that participants with a history of trauma experienced notably higher perceived stress levels than those without such a history.

Key results, published in Lupus Science & Medicine, showed that each additional stressful life event was associated with a 0.20 increase in perceived stress (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.07 to 0.33; p=0.003). In contrast, positive psychosocial factors correlated with a 0.67 reduction in perceived stress (95% CI, -0.94 to -0.40; p<0.0001). Higher social isolation scores were also linked to increased perceived stress (β=0.20; 95% CI, 0.14 to 0.25; p<0.0001). Among participants with trauma exposure, the link between recent stressful events and perceived stress was more pronounced, with beta values of 0.17 (95% CI, 0.05 to 0.29; p=0.0077) for those reporting BTQ trauma and 0.37 (95% CI, 0.15 to 0.58; p=0.0011) for those with adverse childhood experiences.

The study suggests that positive psychosocial factors and reduced social isolation may help lower perceived stress in individuals with SLE. These findings may support the development of trauma-informed care approaches and targeted psychosocial support resources to better address perceived stress in patients with SLE and trauma exposure.

Full disclosures are available in the published study.