Subjective disease perception and symptoms of depression in relation to healthcare-seeking behaviour in patients with rosacea.
Many patients with rosacea do not seek medical care. The aim of this study was to find predictors for healthcare-seeking behaviour among patients with rosacea. The study subjects were 70 consecutive patients attending a dermatologist (seekers) and 56 subjects with rosacea symptoms selected randomly from among the working population (non-seekers). All subjects completed an Estonian Mood Scale questionnaire, a screening instrument for depressive symptoms, and evaluated their subjective disease perception on a visual analogue scale (VAS). Multivariate analysis showed that the independent predictors for healthcare-seeking behaviour were VAS scores >5 and the presence of advanced forms of rosacea. Higher mean VAS scores were not related to severity of rosacea, but were associated with the presence of depressive symptoms among seekers. In conclusion, healthcare-seeking behaviour is associated with higher subjective disease perception. The presence of depressive symptoms is not related to severity of the disease, but to the subjective disease perception of rosacea patients.
Abram
Kristi
K
Clinic of Dermatology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia. kristi.abram@kliinikum.ee
Silm
Helgi
H
Maaroos
Heidi-Ingrid
HI
Oona
Marje
M
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology*; D004522:Educational Status; D004957:Estonia; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010465:Perception; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012393:Rosacea / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires