FROM THE JOURNAL OF PSYCHOSOMATIC RESEARCH

Psoriasis patients showed a greater prevalence of childhood trauma and less resilience than persons without psoriasis, reported Maria Luigia Crosta, of Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, and her associates.

Other studies have shown that among dermatologic disorders, psoriasis has the highest link to psychiatric illness such as mood, anxiety, and personality disorders, and that patients with psoriasis have an increased risk of suicidal ideation, the investigators said.

In a study of 77 psoriasis patients aged 18-65 years and 76 controls from the general population, the psoriasis patients scored significantly higher on childhood trauma than the controls on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form total scores, as well as scoring higher on sexual abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect subscales. Patients with psoriasis also had lower scores than the controls on the Connor-Davidson Resilience scale. There was no correlation between Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form and Connor-Davidson Resilience scale scores and clinical aspects of psoriasis such as Psoriasis Area and Severity Index scores, age of onset, or duration of illness.

“Improving resilience with a multidisciplinary approach and an early psychological intervention could facilitate the management of psoriasis, by promoting the establishment of a stronger therapeutic alliance and a better acceptance of disease. Programs for psoriasis patients should focus on self-motivation and strengthening of self-efficacy,” Dr. Crosta and her associates concluded.

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SOURCE: Crosta ML et al. J Psychosom Res. 2018;106:25-8 .

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