Low self-esteem linked to anxiety/depression in SLE

(HealthDay)—For patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), measures of psychosocial reserve capacity may be associated with depression and anxiety, according to a study published online March 6 in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.

Geraldine Zamora-Racaza, M.D., from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and colleagues examined the correlation between reserve capacity measures and anxiety/depression among 235 patients with SLE from Southern California (SoCal) and Manila in the Philippines. Participants completed self-reported scales to assess anxiety/depression and psychosocial reserve capacity measures.

The researchers found that participants from Manila reported lower socioeconomic status than participants from SoCal. High anxiety scores were reported by 69 and 59.1 percent of participants from Manila and SoCal, respectively. Higher depression scores were seen for SoCal participants (66 versus 27 percent; P < 0.001), despite exhibiting higher scores for all reserve capacity measures (P < 0.001). Higher anxiety and depression scores were reported for participants from both groups with low self-esteem scores. Participants from SoCal who reported lower optimism, lower personal mastery, and lower social support were more anxious and depressed, while less depressive symptoms were reported for Manila participants with lower scores on these three variables.

"Reduced psychosocial reserve capacity in individuals leads to vulnerabilities that may ultimately result in greater disease burden and psychological distress," the authors write.