Subjective stress reactivity in psoriasis – a cross sectional study of associated psychological traits

Abstract

BackgroundStress or psychological distress is often described as a causative or maintaining factor in psoriasis. Psychological traits may influence the appraisal, interpretation and coping ability regarding stressful situations. Detailed investigations of psychological traits in relation to stress reactivity in psoriasis are rare. The aim of this study was to examine whether patients with psoriasis who report an association between psychological distress and exacerbation, “stress reactors” (SRs), differ psychologically from those with no stress reactivity “non-stress reactors” (NSRs).MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted among 101 consecutively recruited outpatients with plaque psoriasis. A psychosocial interview was performed including questions concerning stress reactivity in relation to onset and exacerbation. Three validated self-rating scales were used: Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI, Form-Y), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and Swedish Universities Scales of Personality (SSP). Independent samples t-tests, Chi-square tests and one-way ANOVA analyses were used for group comparisons when appropriate. A logistic regression model was designed with SR as the dependent variable.ResultsSixty-four patients (63%) reported a subjective association between disease exacerbation and stress (SRs). Patients defined as SRs reported significantly higher mean scores regarding state and trait anxiety, depression, and also five SSP scale personality traits, i.e. somatic trait anxiety, psychic trait anxiety, stress susceptibility, lack of assertiveness and mistrust, compared with NSRs. In multivariate analysis, SSP-stress susceptibility was the strongest explanatory variable for SR, i.e. OR (95% CI) = 1.13 (1.02 – 1.24), p = 0.018.ConclusionAccording to our results, patients who perceive stress as a causal factor in their psoriasis might have a more vulnerable psychological constitution. This finding suggests important opportunities for clinicians to identify patients who may benefit from additional psychological exploration and support.

Stress and psoriasis

“…The consequence is an increased risk of anxiety and depression . The symptoms of depression and stress related to psoriasis are interdependent, the correlation coefficients ranging from 0.58 to 0.81 ( P < 0.001) .…”

Psychological stress and psoriasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Thirty‐nine studies, evaluating 32 537 patients, fulfilled the eligibility criteria (19 surveys, seven cross‐sectional studies, 12 case–control studies, one cohort study). The characteristics of the case–control and cohort studies are presented in Table ; the characteristics of the included surveys and cross‐sectional studies are presented in Tables S1 and S2 (see Supporting Information).…”

“…Nineteen studies surveyed 26 099 patients with psoriasis regarding their beliefs in the role of stress in their disease . On average, 46% of patients believed their disease was reactive to stress.…”

“…Nineteen studies surveyed 26 099 patients with psoriasis regarding their beliefs in the role of stress in their disease. 7,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] On average, 46% of patients believed their disease was reactive to stress. Berg et al noted that the percentage of patients believing psoriasis was stress-related was low in studies prior to 1990 but increased thereafter.…”

EPIMAG: Internationale epidemiologische Querschnittsstudie zu Psoriasis im Maghreb

“…So lag der Wert z.B. in einer schwedischen Studie bei 63% [6]. Auch von Dermatologen wird ein deutlicher Zusammenhang gesehen.…”