Body image, self-esteem, and quality of life in patients with psoriasis

Abstract

Background:Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin that may affect the visible areas of body. Hence, the quality of life, self-esteem, and body image can be affected in psoriasis patients.Objectives:We aimed in the present study to assess the effects of psoriasis on the quality of life, self-esteem, and body image.Materials and Methods:The study included 92 patients with psoriasis, along with 98 control participants. The sociodemographic characteristics of the patients were assessed, their Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) scores were calculated to determine the clinical severity of the psoriasis, and the values were recorded. In addition, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Body Image Scale, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale results were evaluated.Results:When the control and psoriasis groups were evaluated regarding the DLQI, self-esteem, and body image, quality of life was found to be more negatively affected in the psoriasis group than the controls, which was statistically significant (P < 0.001), and self-esteem (P < 0.001) and body image (P < 0.001) were found to be significantly lower. Educational status significantly affected self-esteem (P < 0.001) and body image (P = 0.021), however, quality of life was not significantly affected by this parameter (P = 0.345). PASI was positively correlated with the quality of life (r = 0.703) and self-esteem (r = 0.448), however, it was negatively correlated with the body image (r = −0.423).Conclusions:Psoriasis may negatively affect quality of life, self-esteem, and body image, and may also cause psychosocial problems. An assessment of new approaches on this issue may contribute to developments in the treatment of and rehabilitation from this disease.

Netherton syndrome; neuropsychological and psychosocial functioning of child and adult patients and their parents

“…Moreover, due to the (fluctuating) visibility, patients with NS may feel less attractive, which may hamper their self-esteem, social contacts, and participation in peer groups. This hamper has also been described in the literature on psoriasis, a visible chronic skin disease ( Kouris et al, 2016 ; Nazik et al, 2017 ; Nguyen et al, 2016 ).…”

Implications of self‑esteem in the quality of life in patients with psoriasis

“…The characteristics of the cognitions and feelings about oneself are the result of previous experiences, in which the success and failure to fulfill the goals and tasks proposed have a major role (9,10). A negative self-evaluation, due to the anticipation of failure, this time the impossibility of recovery, pushes the patient towards negative affects of anxiety, anger and depression, characteristics mentioned to be associated with psoriasis (11)(12)(13)(14). The authors aimed to see, however, whether self-esteem is different, within the same sex groups, in people with psoriasis arthritis and in patients with mild forms of psoriasis.…”

Patient-reported Outcomes During Treatment in Patients with Moderate-to-severe Psoriasis: A Danish Nationwide Study

“…Indeed, patients achieving PASI90 report lower Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) than patients achieving PASI75-89 (11) and patients with clear skin based on Physicians Global Assessment (PGA) report lower DLQI compared with those with almost clear skin (12). However, in smaller studies, changes in PASI during the first 3 months of treatment do not correlate fully with changes in DLQI (13,14) and reported correlations between PASI and DLQI range from negligible (13,15) to strong (16,17). This apparent dissociation between PASI and DLQI is not yet fully elucidated, but pruritus has been shown to affect this relationship (18).…”