A cross-sectional study found that greater resilience, both on the individual and socio-ecological level, is linked to better mental health outcomes in individuals living with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE). Resilience is the ability to effectively adapt to challenging circumstances, like living with cSLE, and being able to manage and cope with the challenges and stress of living with this chronic disease.
A group of 49 youth with cSLE ages 11-22 were studied and administered a series of tests at a Canadian tertiary center from October 2021 to July 2024. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 10) assessed individual resilience, while the Child and Youth Resilience Measure-Revised (CYRM-R) assessed socio-ecological resilience. Models examined the link between resilience and sociodemographic factors such as health literacy, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and disease factors.
The study found that higher resilience was associated with better health literacy in younger people when communicating information regarding their health. On the other hand, those who had experienced more ACEs in childhood had lower socio-ecological resilience. Lower resilience, both individual and socio-ecological, was associated with more depressive and anxiety-related symptoms and worse self-reported executive functioning. Correlational analyses suggest that resilience played a prominent and potentially protective role against psychosocial challenges.
Sociodemographic and individual factors are important to better characterize resilience in youth with cSLE. The research further supports the need to foster resilience as a priority in managing physical and mental outcomes in youth with chronic and vulnerable disease populations like cSLE. Learn more about childhood lupus.
This post was originally published on this site