The Physical, Psychological and Social Impact of Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic, disabling skin disease affecting up to 2 percent of the population. Little is known about how physical, psychological and social features of the illness interact to create a negative impact. In this article, a biopsychosocial model of the impact of psoriasis is described, and results from a survey of 317 psoriasis patients are presented. The types of functional disability, psychological distress and disease-related stressors are described for highly strained patients (i.e. those with disease-related suicidal ideation) and compared with less strained patients (i.e. those without suicidal ideation). As predicted by the model, significantly more disability, psychological distress and disease-related stressors are found among highly strained patients. Logistical regression analysis revealed that strain is more strongly associated with disability, distress and disease-related stress level than with disease severity. Implications for research and clinical interventions are discussed.