Well-being in the face of adversity: a comparison of the role of positive psychosocial factors on health outcomes in black women with VS. Without systemic lupus erythematosus

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases awarded Emory University $100,228 on December 16, 2026, under the Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.846) to support trainee Khadijah Abdallah's research on positive psychosocial factors and health outcomes in Black women with and without systemic lupus erythematosus.

The research examines how mastery, purpose in life, religious dimensions, social support, and self-compassion influence cardiovascular and renal risk in Black women, using data from the existing VISTA cohort study. The work combines quantitative latent profile analysis of these protective psychosocial factors with qualitative natural language processing of online forums to assess socio-cultural context and lived experience. The project identifies psychosocial phenotypes, evaluates their longitudinal impact on disease outcomes, and investigates mechanistic pathways such as inflammation linking psychosocial well-being to cardiovascular and renal health.

Performance is located in Atlanta, Georgia, with work concluding June 30, 2028. The award is a project grant, with $100,228 obligated.

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, potentially debilitating, autoimmune condition that mostly impacts black women in the united states. Black women with SLE also experience poor outcomes however, the etiology of SLE and its progression are not well understood. Psychosocial mechanisms have been proposed as explaining some of the adverse outcomes among black women with SLE, although most studies have focused on negative factors, and less is known about protective psychosocial factors. To address these absent areas in research, the trainee (khadijah abdallah) will utilize previously collected data from the vascular aging, inflammation, and stress in african-american women's health research study (vista (PI: lewis; R01AR070898)) cohort to examine both the latent as well as composite properties of seven positive psychosocial factors (mastery, purpose in life, religious dimensions, social support, and self-compassion), their longitudinal impact on cardiovascular (CVD) and renal risk, and the mechanistic pathways, such as inflammation, that leads to these CVD and renal outcomes. The study also proposes to complement the quantitative aims through innovative data mining/scraping techniques, such as natural language processing (NLP) of online forums, to qualitatively assess the socio-cultural context and experiences that shape current perspectives on psychosocial well-being, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of these phenotypes. The specific aims of the study are: (1) identify psychosocial phenotypes using latent profile analysis with positive psychosocial factors (PPF); (1A) utilize NLP to collect qualitative data from black women with and without SLE on reddit (a social media platform) to uncover nuanced perspectives and insights into their psychosocial well- being; (2) examine the longitudinal impact of PPF on CVD and renal outcomes using a repeated measures design; (3) investigate the association between PPF and inflammatory markers associated with CVD and renal function; (3A) explore the potential mediating role of inflammatory pathways between PPF and health outcomes. The expected results of this study are important for understanding risks and protective factors for chronic disease management and will also enhance knowledge on potential interventions to meet the needs of these populations living with a debilitating chronic condition. This F31 will also support MS. Abdallah's training in methods, SLE, and health informatics. MS. Abdallah has assembled a strong team of mentors and collaborators, many of whom she has collaborated with previously. This includes DR. Lewis (primary sponsor), DR. LIM (collaborator), DR. Vaccarino (collaborator), DR. Haardörfer (collaborator), DR. Mcgee (collaborator), and DR. Sarker (collaborator). They will provide guidance throughout the training period across these topics. MS. Abdallah will also benefit from the resources with the doctoral program and the broader community. She is well-suited and in an ideal environment to achieve the goals of this F31 application and to develop a foundation for a career as an independent public health researcher.