Relationship between self-esteem and stigmatization in psoriasis patients

Abstract

Introduction Psoriasis is classified as a psychosomatic disease since its development and outcome may be modulated by various psychological factors. Due to the presence of clinical signs visible to others and poor social awareness of the disease, psoriasis patients are not infrequently classified as different or stigmatized, and their value as human beings tends to decrease. Aim To analyse the relationship between self-esteem and stigmatization in psoriasis patients. Material and methods The study included 120 patients with psoriasis vulgaris. The study participants completed Polish versions of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and the 6-Item Stigmatization Scale developed by Evers et al ., as well as an original survey containing questions about their sociodemographic characteristics. Results Mean RSES score of the study participants was 24.1 points. Mean RSES score for female patients was nearly 2 points lower than the mean score for men. Analysis of Spearman’s rho coefficients showed that the higher the self-esteem in the study participants the less often they considered themselves unattractive to others (0.23), less often believed that people gaze at their skin lesions (0.23) or avoid them because of their condition (0.38). Conclusions Our findings demonstrate clearly that both self-esteem and stigmatization are significant components of psoriasis’ influence on the patient life. Psoriasis should not be considered merely as a somatic problem, but also as a significant psychological and social burden.

Skin Disease in Children: Effects on Quality of Life, Stigmatization, Bullying, and Suicide Risk in Pediatric Acne, Atopic Dermatitis, and Psoriasis Patients

“…These results are consistent with the higher degree of stigmatization in younger persons with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis compared to older patients with the same conditions [42]. Females felt a stronger sense of stigmatization regarding their psoriatic lesions compared to men [41].…”

“…Certain qualities, including age and gender, may affect the level of stigmatization among patients with psoriasis. In a qualitative study of patients with psoriasis, older respondents heard fewer harsh comments about their condition and experienced less frequent thoughts about their disease being contagious, namely thoughts that others were uncomfortable touching their skin lesions, or that others avoided them due to their illness [41]. These results are consistent with the higher degree of stigmatization in younger persons with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis compared to older patients with the same conditions [42].…”

“…In order to mitigate these negative feelings or discomfort, pediatric patients may avoid going to school, choose to wear different clothes, or participate in different extracurricular activities [20,[22][23][24]. These patients may suffer from poor self-esteem, which increases their risk of being bullied by their peers at school as well as their risk of comorbid psychosocial conditions [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. Those who are unable to develop healthy coping skills or who do not seek help for their psychosocial conditions face an increased risk of suicidal behavior [12][13][14][15][26][27][28][29][30]44,46].…”

“…Acne, AD, and psoriasis are common dermatologic conditions that affect the pediatric population and have a great impact on the quality of life of patients and their caregivers. Patients face increased risk of poor self-esteem, stigmatization, and psychosocial conditions, which influence their daily activities at home, school, and work [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]43]. Patients develop a number of coping skills to mitigate these negative experiences including avoidance and wearing more conservative clothing, which may affect their attendance at school as well as their choice of extracurricular activities.…”

Fire needle therapy for blood stasis syndrome of plaque psoriasis

“…[ 27 , 28 ] Whether it is physical burden or psychological pressure, it brings huge distress to patients and affects the quality of life of patients seriously. [ 29 ] Therefore, it is necessary to find an economical, simple, and effective treatment method intervene in PSO.…”