Caregiving, dyadic quality of life and dyadic relationships in lupus:

AimsSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) mostly affects young women, adversely affecting their quality of life (QOL). Caregivers may experience caregiver burden (CGB), and it may lower the quality of their relationship. Herein we studied caregiving and CGB and their effects on QOL and relationships in SLE.MethodsWe recruited 10 dyads from the Lupus Clinic. Data collected included demographics, CGB (CGB Scale, screen for CGB), QOL (SF-36) and the quality of the dyadic relationship (Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS)). We calculated correlation coefficients for associations between (i) CGB and (ii) dyadic QOL or DAS.ResultsThe mean (± SD) age of SLE patients was 35.2 (± 9) years and of caregivers was 37.3 (± 9.64) years. The mean (± SD, min–max) total CGB score was 9.1 (± 5.8, 0–19). The caregiver's QOL correlated strongly with some of the domains of the patient's QOL. The SLE-related CGB was associated with the caregiver's own QOL and their SLE partner's QOL. The dyadic DAS was linked to the patient's QOL.Conclus...