A pilot study of resilience and severity of depressive symptoms in patients with psoriasis

E Mitsiou; E Parlapani; D Kirla; A Patsatsi; G Floros; D Sotiriadis; V P Bozikas

A pilot study of resilience and severity of depressive symptoms in patients with psoriasis

Hippokratia. 2022 Oct-Dec;26(4):131-137.

Authors

E Mitsiou¹, E Parlapani², D Kirla², A Patsatsi¹, G Floros³, D Sotiriadis¹, V P Bozikas³

Affiliations

¹ 2nd Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Psoriasis Outpatient Clinic, General Hospital "Papageorgiou", Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
² 1st Department of Psychiatry, General Hospital "Papageorgiou", Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
³ 2nd Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Hospital of Thessaloniki, Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

PMID: 37497528
PMCID: PMC10367950

Abstract

Background: Patients with psoriasis show an increased prevalence of depressive symptoms that worsen disease outcomes. This study investigated the effect of resilience and other sociodemographic/clinical variables on depressive symptoms' severity in patients with psoriasis.

Methods: This study included 58 psoriasis patients consecutively enrolled during the 14 months of the study. We evaluated psoriasis severity using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, Body Surface Area, and Physician Global Assessment. The psychometric assessment included the Resilience Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). We divided participants into two subgroups based on the optimal BDI-II cut-off score (Group A: BDI-II ≤17; Group B: BDI-II >17). A stepwise regression analysis explored whether the variation in the BDI-II score could be predicted by a linear combination of sociodemographic and clinical variables.

Results: Psoriasis patients with more severe depressive symptoms (Group B patients) showed lower resilience levels than Group A patients (p <0.001). Moreover, depressive symptoms correlated only with resilience levels (p <0.001), with a negative correlation. The stepwise regression analysis revealed that resilience explained 37.1 % of the variance in BDI-II scores, whereas resilience, gender, and comorbidity with other physical illnesses combined explained 51.3 % of the variance.

Conclusion: Resilience may alleviate depressive symptoms in psoriasis patients. This study underscores the importance of resilience-building interventions for these patients. HIPPOKRATIA 2022, 26 (4):131-137.

Keywords: Depressive symptoms; psoriasis; psychodermatology; resilience.