Body Image Concerns of Psoriasis Patients As Reflected in Human Figure Drawings

Leichtman, Sandra R.; Burnett, Joseph W.; Robinson, Harry M.

doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa4505_4

Cited by 23 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…However, it was the body image which proved to be the most harmful aspect of psoriasis; as many as 89% of the respondents declared being ashamed and embarrassed with their body image. Other authors also confirmed that unattractive appearance exerts a significant negative effect on one’s self-image, which is reflected by the feelings of being stigmatized and problems in social functioning [7, 26].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

The Sense of Stigmatization in Patients with Plaque Psoriasis

et al. 2020

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Background: Psoriasis is a systemic inflammatory disease capable of creating stigmatization in the form of social exclusion and decrement of psychological conditions. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the level of stigmatization in patients with plaque psoriasis. Methods: The study included 166 patients with plaque psoriasis (55.6% women and 44.3% men) with Psoriasis Area and Severity Index scores ≤10. The age of the study patients ranged between 18 and 72 years (arithmetic mean = 37.4; median = 38; standard deviation [SD] = 11.0). The mean age at the diagnosis of psoriasis was 21.5 years (median = 20; SD = 9.1) and disease duration varied from 2 to 59 years (arithmetic mean = 15.8; median = 15; SD = 11.3). The study patients completed the Polish version of the 6-item Stigmatization Scale and the 33-item Feelings of Stigmatization Questionnaire and a survey developed by the authors of this study, containing questions about the participants’ sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, place of residence, marital status, education, employment status) and information about their disease (location of psoriatic lesions, time elapsed since the diagnosis of psoriasis). Results: The mean score for the 6-item Stigmatization Scale for the whole study group was 7.6 out of 18 points (median = 7; SD = 3.8; minimum = 0; maximum = 17). The average score for the 33-item Stigma Feelings Questionnaire in our series was 84.5 out of 165 points (median = 88; SD = 20.9; minimum = 30; maximum = 136). A statistically significant sex-related difference was observed in the 6-item Stigmatization Scale scores, with higher stigmatization levels found in men than in women (p = 0.0082). Moreover, significantly higher levels of stigmatization were observed in countryside dwellers (p = 0.0311) and unmarried persons (p = 0.0321). Patients with a longer history of the disease (≥15 years) scored significantly higher on the 6-item Stigmatization Scale (p = 0.0217) than those in whom psoriasis lasted less long, and presented with higher, at the threshold of statistical significance, scores for the 33-item Feelings of Stigmatization Questionnaire. Conclusions: Stigmatization awareness should be promoted among physicians and psoriatic patients to improve psoriasis management.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

The Sense of Stigmatization in Patients with Plaque Psoriasis

et al. 2020

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“…It appears, therefore, that accuracy of one's body-image projection (as reflected in its matchability with photographs) is not necessarily related to psychological adjustment. Leichtman, Burnett, and Robinson (1981) found that dermatologic patients with severe disfiguring psoriasis appeared to manifest an overconcern with their body image by showing more nudity and sexual emphasis in their drawings than did two other patient groups, and that patients with mild psoriasis showed more than patients with less serious dermatologic problems. Pubertal girls studied by Rierdan and Koff (1980) reflected the new changes in their body image due to their sexual development by explicitly representing breasts on their drawings more often than did college girls.…”

Section: The Body-image Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Tolor and Digrazia (1973) found that 58% of pregnant women drew nudes, as did 60% of women who had recently given birth and 41% of women with other gynaecological problems. Leichtman et al (1981) reported that 61% to 73% of males and 16% to 48% of females suffering from dermatological problems, and thus likely to be focused on the issue of physical appearance, drew nudes. Similarly, 68% of Rosen and Boe's (1968) sample of undergraduates drew nudes, possibly because their special circumstances (weightlifting, physical education research) heightened their awareness of and concern with their bodies; it is also possible, of course, that narcissism led both to participation in such special activities and to an increased tendency to draw nudes.…”

Section: Nudity/clothingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human figure drawing in adults: An update of the empirical evidence, 1967–1982.

Kahill¹

1984

Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne

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Figure drawing tests continue to be popular with clinicians despite the relatively unfavourable conclusions of a number of published literature reviews. The current paper examines the empirical literature on the reliability and validity of human figure drawing tests, used as a projective device with adult subjects, covering the period between January 1967 and June 1982. The areas surveyed include reliability estimates, evidence relevant to the body-image hypothesis, the validity of hypotheses concerning structural and formal drawing variables and the content of figure drawings, the performance of global measures, and the influence of confounding factors.

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“…As disease acceptance is important for patient well-being, we decided to examine two variables which may influence adjustment to psoriasis: psychological (body image and body experience) and social (perceived social support). Although it was emphasized that body image is strongly affected by psoriasis (Vardy et al, 2002;Leichtman, Burnett, & Robinson, 1981), to the best of our knowledge, no study has analyzed the impact of body image or body experience on the acceptance of psoriasis. We used the model of body self developed by Sakson-Obada (2009;Sakson-Obada & Wycisk, 2015), which is a complex structure of personality, composed of body image and body experience.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acceptance of psoriasis in the context of body image, body experience, and social support

Sakson-Obada¹,

Pawlaczyk²,

Gerke³

et al. 2017

Health Psychology Report

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health psychology report • volume 5(3), 7 original article background Acceptance of disease is an important determinant of quality of life in psoriasis patients. Social support and positive body image are considered important contributors to coping with the disease, but no studies have yet examined the role of body image and body experience in relation to psychological adjustment to psoriasis. We aimed to identify the role of biopsychosocial aspects-medical characteristics, body image, body experience, and social support-in acceptance of psoriasis. participants and procedure The Berlin Social Support Scale, the Acceptance of Illness Scale, and the Body-Self Questionnaire (BSQ) were administered to 109 patients. Disease severity was measured with the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). results None of the investigated medical aspects were related to disease acceptance. Disease acceptance was associated with perceived social support (instrumental, informational, and emotional) and the following aspects of body experience and body image: lack of disturbances in perceiving, interpretation and regulation of emotions and physiological needs, appearance satisfaction, acceptance of biological sex, and fitness satisfaction. The acceptance of appearance and biological sex and social support were the best predictors, explaining 33% of the variance in disease acceptance (R 2 = .33, F = 18.93). conclusions Disease acceptance is independent of medical disease parameters, which demonstrates the limitations of the biomedical model in explaining the process of coping with psoriasis. Our findings demonstrate the buffering effect of social support, positive body image, and body experience against the negative consequences of psoriasis. Psychological intervention focused on body image and body experience enhancement can support psychological adjustment to disease.

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Body Image Concerns of Psoriasis Patients As Reflected in Human Figure Drawings

Cited by 23 publications

References 2 publications

The Sense of Stigmatization in Patients with Plaque Psoriasis

The Sense of Stigmatization in Patients with Plaque Psoriasis

Human figure drawing in adults: An update of the empirical evidence, 1967–1982.

Acceptance of psoriasis in the context of body image, body experience, and social support

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