Derm News: 2007.6(3)

Acceptance of chronic illness in psoriasis vulgaris patients

Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, February 2007;21(2):235-242
A Zalewska, J Miniszewska, J Chodkiewicz, J Narbutt
ABSTRACT

Background

Acceptance of an illness is regarded as a considerable problem in patients with chronic diseases. Lack of acceptance can lead to lower adherence to medical treatment and delayed clinical improvement. Psoriasis, being a chronic skin disease, is known to cause considerable distress to patients.

Objectives

To examine whether selected demographic factors and personal resources have an impact on acceptance of illness in psoriasis vulgaris patients.

Results

Physical factors such as sex, age, disease duration and severity, and family history of psoriasis had no effect on acceptance of illness. However, based on multiple regression analysis, higher levels of optimism, lower conviction of others' influence on one's health and the less frequently employed coping strategy concentration on emotions, together with more severe disease expressed by PASI, were correlated with higher acceptance of disease in psoriasis patients.

Conclusions

The results obtained seem to confirm that personal resources play an important role in acceptance of chronic illness. Enhancement of optimism, and minimizing one's conviction that one's health depends on others could lead to higher acceptance of illness.

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The Derm News service provided by the Editorial Consultants of Skin Therapy Letter^© and its founding editor Dr. Stuart Maddin.