title: Optimism as a predictor of health-related quality of life in psoriatics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Psoriasis is a chronic and relapsing disease which significantly affects the quality of life and social functioning of the affected people. It is one of the so-called psychodermatological diseases, which means that there exists a psychological component in the image of the disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in psoriatics and selected demographic, medical and psychological (dispositional optimism) variables and to determine the predictors of HRQoL in the examined group.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study consisted of 138 patients with the diagnosis of psoriasis vulgaris. Most respondents (125) had psoriasis on exposed parts of the body.
  
  
  METHODS
  SKINDEX, Life Orientation Test, PASI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The gender does not differentiate patients in terms of HRQoL and optimism. Almost all of analyzed variables correlate with HRQoL and all examined variables explain the results variability for overall HRQoL but only optimism explains the highest percentage of the variability (β = -0.35).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study demonstrated a very interesting relationship - the stronger optimism the better quality of life in psoriatics. So, a generalized expectation of positive life events is related to better assessment of HRQoL.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Lodz, Poland. Head: Prof. Eleonora Bielawska-Batorowicz.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miniszewska
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chodkiewicz
authors.forename: Alicja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ograczyk
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zalewska-Janowska
keywords: optimism; psoriasis; psychodermatology; quality of life