Comparison of Personality Traits among Patients with Psoriasis, Atopic Dermatitis, and Stress: A Pilot Study.
Journal article

Comparison of Personality Traits among Patients with Psoriasis, Atopic Dermatitis, and Stress: A Pilot Study.

  • Grine L Department of Dermatology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium, lynda.grine@uzgent.be.
  • Tochtermann G Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
  • Lapeere H Department of Dermatology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
  • Maes N Department of Dermatology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
  • Hofbauer GFL Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
  • Vervaet M Department of Psychiatry, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
  • Lambert J Department of Dermatology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
Show more…
  • 2020-02-06
Published in:
  • Dermatology (Basel, Switzerland). - 2020
English BACKGROUND
Psoriasis and atopic dermatitis are chronic skin diseases that greatly affect the quality of life. Both diseases can be triggered or exacerbated by stress.


OBJECTIVE
We aimed to differentiate personality traits between patients with chronic skin conditions and people treated for stress in a pilot study.


METHODS
Patients participating voluntarily in educational programs in Belgium and Switzerland were recruited to complete personality trait questionnaires, including the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ). A comparison was made with patients treated for work-related stress.


RESULTS
A total of 48 and 91 patients suffering from skin diseases and work-related stress, respectively, were included in the study. Based on the questionnaires, we found that dermatology patients were less persistent and impulsive than those with work-related stress. Dermatology patients also exhibited more rigidness and less focus on performance. Finally, patients with work-related stress seem more likely to change in response to health-promoting programs than patients with chronic dermatoses.


CONCLUSION
Patients with chronic skin diseases may perceive and cope with stress differently in comparison to patients with work-related stress due to inherent personality traits. Therefore, stress coping mechanisms may differ among different diseases. More research is needed into the design of educational interventions and the impact of personality traits in disease-specific groups.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/global/documents/191591
Statistics

Document views: 16 File downloads: