Abstract
The purpose of this study is to show how female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus are affected by the disease and what they experience in relationships with others. Twenty-one female outpatients with systemic lupus erythematosus participated in this study. Data were collected by semi-structural interviews, and were continually compared and analyzed by Grounded Theory Approach.
Their relationships with others are mainly classified into four categories:[Exposing the disease][Not exposing the disease][Feeling understood][Feeling not understood]. These four categories are closely related with each other. In addition, what they have experienced since the onset of the disease and what they expect they would experience in the future are related with the four categories. The female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, in order to minimize the effects of illness in relationships with others, have strategically adopted either [Exposing the disease]or [Not exposing the disease].
