This article is the first to review published research on psychosocial factors and behavioral interventions related to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The first section presents descriptive studies, followed by studies that investigate psychosocial factors as predictor and outcome variables. These studies demonstrate that the consideration of psychosocial factors is critical to understanding the disease experience of persons with SLE. Next, studies of behavioral interventions are presented, leading to the conclusion that randomized controlled trials are essential yet rare. The final section highlights limitations of the extant literature and suggests directions for future research and recommendations for clinicians.

The present longitudinal study examined the role of general and tailored social support in mitigating the deleterious impact of racial discrimination on depressive symptoms and optimism in a large sample of African American women. Participants were 590 African American women who completed measures assessing racial discrimination, general social support, tailored social support for racial discrimination, depressive symptoms, and optimism at two time points (2001–2002 and 2003–2004). Our results indicated that higher levels of general and tailored social support predicted optimism one year later; changes in both types of support also predicted changes in optimism over time. Although initial levels of neither measure of social support predicted depressive symptoms over time, changes in tailored support predicted changes in depressive symptoms. We also sought to determine whether general and tailored social support “buffer” or diminish the negative effects of racial discrimination on depressive symptoms and optimism. Our results revealed a classic buffering effect of tailored social support, but not general support on depressive symptoms for women experiencing high levels of discrimination.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate relationships among sexual dissatisfaction, body image, and physical and psychological functioning in 54 women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and a demographically similar comparison sample of 29 healthy women. For women with SLE, sexual dissatisfaction was positively correlated with fatigue, depressive symptoms, and feelings of physical attractiveness. No significant differences existed between women with SLE and healthy women with respect to sexual dissatisfaction or body image. Our results suggest that the impact of disease on body image and sexual dissatisfaction are greatest when levels of fatigue and depressive symptoms are high.