Alexithymia, Illness Perception and Self-management Competency in Psoriasis

Acta Derm Venereol. 2017 Aug 31;97(8):934-940. doi: 10.2340/00015555-2707.

Abstract

Alexithymia, defined as difficulty in describing or recognizing emotions, has been shown to be connected with psoriasis, but its relationship with self-management of psoriasis has not been explored. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of alexithymia and its relationship with self-management and illness perception in the context of psoriasis. A total of 163 patients participating in 3 weeks of climate heliotherapy (CHT) at Gran Canaria were assessed for alexithymia using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) at baseline. Self-reported measures for self-management (Health Education Impact Questionnaire; heiQ), and disease severity and illness perception (Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire; BIPQ) were assessed twice. Of all patients, 14.1% were characterized as alexithymic and 22.1% scored in the intermediate range. Alexithymic patients scored significantly worse in all heiQ domains, and reported worse illness perception. However, there were no between-group differences in heiQ or BIPQ change from baseline to after CHT. In conclusion, this study shows that alexithymia indicates inferior self-management and reaffirms the associations with illness perception. Further research is required into these relationships.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Affective Symptoms / diagnosis
  • Affective Symptoms / psychology*
  • Affective Symptoms / therapy*
  • Aged
  • Cost of Illness
  • Female
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
  • Heliotherapy*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Motivational Interviewing*
  • Patient Reported Outcome Measures
  • Psoriasis / diagnosis
  • Psoriasis / psychology*
  • Psoriasis / therapy*
  • Quality of Life
  • Self Care / methods*
  • Self Concept*
  • Self Report
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Sweden
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Young Adult