Joanna Miniszewska

Itch, disease coping strategies and quality of life in psoriasis patients

Introduction Psoriasis is a psychodermatological condition, so psychological factors can trigger and/or exacerbate skin lesions. Additionally, disease can be a source of stress and can worsen patients’ quality of life (QoL). Aim To evaluate the relationship between medical (disease severity, itch) and psychological variables (disease coping strategies, QoL) in the psoriasis patients group. Material and methods The study comprises 60 in-patients of the dermatological ward (30 females and 30 males) with the diagnosis of psoriasis. Methods used: Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), Itch Severity Evaluation Questionnaire, Coping with Skin Disease Scale-SRS-DER, SKINDEX-29 questionnaire. Results The study demonstrated significant correlations between disease coping strategies, itch and quality of life. Women presented worse QoL (generally and in physical functioning). The older patients with a longer disease duration revealed QoL impairment. Conclusions The obtained results could help in identifying patients risk groups which are in the highest danger of decreased QoL. Our data indicate the need for psychological interventions.

Optimism as a predictor of health-related quality of life in psoriatics

Introduction Psoriasis is a chronic and relapsing disease which significantly affects the quality of life and social functioning of the affected people. It is one of the so-called psychodermatological diseases, which means that there exists a psychological component in the image of the disease. Aim To examine the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in psoriatics and selected demographic, medical and psychological (dispositional optimism) variables and to determine the predictors of HRQoL in the examined group. Material and methods The study consisted of 138 patients with the diagnosis of psoriasis vulgaris. Most respondents (125) had psoriasis on exposed parts of the body. Methods used: SKINDEX, Life Orientation Test, PASI. Results The gender does not differentiate patients in terms of HRQoL and optimism. Almost all of analyzed variables correlate with HRQoL and all examined variables explain the results variability for overall HRQoL but only optimism explains the highest percentage of the variability (β = –0.35). Conclusions The study demonstrated a very interesting relationship – the stronger optimism the better quality of life in psoriatics. So, a generalized expectation of positive life events is related to better assessment of HRQoL.

Polish Adaptation of the Psychache Scale by Ronald Holden and Co-workers

OBJECTIVES The conducted study was aimed at making a Polish adaptation of the Scale of Psychache by Ronald Holden and co-workers. The scale is a self-assessment method which comprises 13 statements and is designed to assess subjectively experienced psychological pain. METHODS 300 persons were examined - undergraduates and postgraduates of the University of Lodz and the Technical University of Lodz. The group of the study participants consisted of 185 women and 115 men. Moreover, there were examined 150 alcohol addicted men, 50 co-addicted women and 50 major depressive episode (MDE) patients. RESULTS The Polish version of the Scale is a reliable and valid tool. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis has proved the existence of one factor. The internal consistency, assessed on the basis of Cronbachs alpha, equalled 0.93. The method displays positive and statistically significant relationships to levels of depression, hopelessness, anxiety, anhedonia and negative relations to levels of optimism, life satisfaction, and positive orientation. Alcohol addicted men with presently diagnosed suicidal thoughts were characterised by a significantly higher level of psychological pain as compared to alcoholics without such thoughts. A higher level of psychache was also reported in people with depression who have a history of attempted suicide compared with those who have not attempted suicide. CONCLUSIONS The effect of the conducted adaptation works on the Psychache Scale speaks for recommending the method for scientific research and use in therapeutic practice.

Sense of coherence as a protective factor in chronic urticaria

Introduction Chronic urticaria (CU) seems to be perceived as a psychodermatological disorder. Different psychological factors play an important role in CU triggering and course. One of them is a sense of coherence (SOC), which is believed to be a protective factor against anxiety and depression. Aim To investigate quality of life (QoL) in CU patients and to compare selected psychological parameters (anxiety, depression and sense of coherence) between CU individuals and the control group. Material and methods The study comprised 46 female patients with chronic urticaria and 33 healthy females as a control group. The following methods were employed: Urticaria Activity Score (UAS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (SOC-29) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Results The CU patients presented a significantly higher anxiety level in comparison to the control group (z = 4.488; p < 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences regarding depression intensity and SOC. In both groups anxiety and depression negatively correlated with global SOC and all its components. Disease severity positively correlated with QoL (ρ = 0.46, p < 0.01) and negatively with global SOC (ρ = –0.33, p < 0.05). Conclusions Bearing in mind higher prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in our CU group, it would be useful to perform screening of these aspects in all CU patients and subsequently develop respective psychological interventions, based on enhancement of personal resources.

The Polish adaptation of the Public Speaking Anxiety Questionnaire

OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was the Polish adaptation of the shortened Public Speaking Anxiety Questionnaire GFER by Spitznagel and co-workers. METHODS GFER is a self-assessment method which consists of 16 statements and is designed to assess emotions, physiological reactions, and thoughts that appear in a situation of public speaking. GFER was used to examine 320 students from Lodzs universities. The State/Trait Anxiety Inventory - STAI by Spielberger, The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale by Zigmunt and Snaith and TCI by Cloninger were also used. RESULTS The Polish version of GFER is a reliable and valid tool. The factor structure is similar to the original structure. As a result of the conducted analyses, there was obtained the 9-item version of the tool, which has a 2-factor structure - factor I: emotional and physiological reactions, factor II: worrying. The results obtained with GFER present a statistically significant correlation with other measures of anxiety and with the dimension of temperament: harm avoidance. CONCLUSIONS The obtained results indicate that GFER may be used in both scientific research and therapeutic practice.