Health-related quality of life in patients with moderate-severe psoriasis: Preliminary results on the role of psychopathology and coping strategies in a cohort of patients

Abstract

Psoriasis is a multisystem inflammatory disease associated to several comorbidities with a significant impact on interpersonal and social life. Depression, anxiety symptoms and suicidal ideation–due to psychological distress–are frequently reported. The aim of the study was to assess whether psychological factors–psychopathology, perceived health status and coping strategies–together with clinical and sociodemographic factors, were independent predictors of Quality of Life (QoL) in adult psoriatic patients on topical and/or systemic pharmacological therapy. A cohort of 87 patients (53 M and 34 F), whose mean age was 46 ± 22 years, was analyzed. Coping responses were assessed by COPE and general psychopathology by Self-Reported-Symptom Inventory Revised (SCL-90), while HAM-D and HAM-A evaluated depressive and anxiety symptoms. In addition, perceived health status and QoL were analyzed by Short-Form-36 (SF-36) while the disease's burden assessed by PSODISK. Univariate analyses were performed for each variable to explore the relationship with QoL. Preliminary results indicated that, although not severe, anxiety and depressive symptoms were the most reported among patients along with somatization and obsessive-compulsivity. Female patients used more frequently mental disengagement, focus on and venting of emotions, use of instrumental social support and religious coping. Physical pain and mental health, instead, greatly affected QoL of subjects in a negative manner. PSODISK data analysis showed that general health, itching, serenity, shame and degree of extension of the disease on the skin were the most compromised areas. Moreover, correlation analysis indicated that a worse perception of patients’ health status was associated to poor QoL.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.