Evaluation of social skills and adhesion to treatment in adolescents with Lupus Eritematoso Sistemico Juvenil

Abstract

Juvenile Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (JSLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the production of antibodies, formation and deposition of immune complexes, inflammation in diverse organs and tissue damage diagnosed in individuals under 17 years old. Behaviors classified as social skills (SS) are among the several aspects that serve as indicators of quality of life in individuals with chronic diseases. In the case of adolescents with autoimmune diseases such as JSLE, those skills could aid in treatment adherence, given that they are considered health promotion strategies, justifying the studies on this topic. Thus, this study aims to characterize the behavior repertoire corresponding to SS and the level of adherence to treatment in adolescents with JSLE treated at the outpatient clinic of a public hospital in Belém, Pará. The sample consisted of eight females and one male participants, aged 12 to 17 years. We used protocol for the analysis of medical records, the Teenage Inventory of Social Skills (TISS), SLEDAI and 24H Recall. The results indicated that the participants had deficits in SS, and low rates of adherence to treatment (RAT). There is a positive correlation between RAT and the Factor 5 – Affective approach of the TISS. We noted that the factors with the lowest frequency of SS behaviors were not always the ones with the highest cost of response, or vice versa. Despite the small sample, this is an unprecedented study in the area. We hope that this research will contribute to enrich not only the collection of studies on SS but also on the possibility of its relationship with adherence to the treatment of the JSLE.