Psychological distress and investment in one's appearance in patients with pemphigus.
BACKGROUND
Pemphigus vulgaris is a chronic disease not currently curable. Physical involvement and the impact of chronic therapies can lead patients to changes in psychological and relational areas.


OBJECTIVE
To provide a measure of psychological distress, dysfunctional investment in one's appearance, and their relationship.


METHODS
Self-administered questionnaires (ASI, HADS) were given to 74 pemphigus inpatients.


RESULTS
Strong associations between psychological distress and dysfunctional investment in one's appearance were observed [adjusted odds ratio (OR)=7.36, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.20-45.11; OR 5.38, 95% CI 0.81-35.87, respectively, for appearance stereotyping and body-image vulnerability], together with a perceived high disease severity (OR 6.03, 95% CI 1.90-23.46).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results are compatible with the idea that some forms of psychological distress could be in part due to one's perception of his/her own body image.
Mazzotti
E
E
Divisione di Oncologia e Dermatologia Oncologica, IDI-IRCCS, Roma, Italy. eva.mazzotti@tiscali.it
Mozzetta
A
A
Antinone
V
V
Alfani
S
S
Cianchini
G
G
Abeni
D
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001828:Body Image; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012649:Self Concept