The Temperament Risk Factor, Disease Severity, and Quality of Life in Patients with Psoriasis

Impact of Attachment Style and Temperament Traits on the Quality of Life of Patients with Psoriasis

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with manifestations that go beyond the visual manifestation, and include psychological aspects. Some mental disorders or personality traits in psoriasis patients have also been highlighted, such as a negative or problematic attitude towards life, impulsive or avoidant behavior, and lower satisfaction with life. The aim of our cross-sectional study was to explore the associations between adult attachment, temperament, and quality of life of patients with psoriasis.

METHODS

A sample of 75 patients with psoriasis was evaluated with the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) to study adult attachment, the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, and San Diego Auto-questionnaire (TEMPS-A) to study temperament traits, and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) to study the impact of dermatological diseases on patients' lives.

RESULTS

Depressive, cyclothymic, and irritable temperaments were found to be significantly positively associated with a need for approval and preoccupation with relationships subscales of the ASQ. The severity of skin disease effect on the patient's life was higher in women than in men. Moreover, a statistically significant effect of the need for approval subscale of the ASQ was found. The positive correlation between the severity of skin disease effect on the patient's life with a need for approval was statistically significant and stronger in women than in men.

CONCLUSIONS

A better understanding of the impact of mental comorbidities on psoriasis and vice versa places an ever-greater responsibility on dermatologists involved in the management of psoriasis to recognize these problems and collaborate with psychologists and psychiatrists to help these patients.

Total oxidant capacity, total antioxidant capacity, ischemic modified albumin, microRNA levels, and their relationship with psoriasis area and severity index

Aims To examine the differences in the levels of microRNA, ischemic modified albumin (IMA), total oxidant capacity (TOC), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of persons with and without psoriasis and, in the case group, the relationship between these parameters and psoriasis area and severity index (PASI). Methods Blood samples were collected from patients and healthy participants to examine levels of these parameters. Results The mean serum TOC level was higher in the case group. The mean serum TAC and IMA levels were significantly lower in the case group (P <0.001). It was observed that the mean serum miR-203 and miR-146a levels were increased in psoriasis patients. It was determined that there was only a significant positive weak correlation between miR-203 and PASI (r = 0.232, P = 0.027). Limitations The small sample size, not controlling serum albumin and not evaluating the effects of the treatment agents used by the patients on oxidative and inflammatory processes. Conclusion In the case group changes in the mean serum TOC and TAC levels provide evidence that oxidative stress may play a critical role in disease pathogenesis. The increase in the mean serum miR-203 and miR-146a levels suggest the possibility of therapies targeting these microRNAs as a new option.

Quality of Life of Prostate Cancer Patients Undergoing Prostatectomy and Affective Temperament

Purpose

Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the most common malignancies in men. The population of PC survivors is growing, and understanding the roles of different factors that affect quality of life (QoL) is important. We investigated the effects of affective temperament on the QoL of PC patients.

Patients and Methods

All subjects (n=100) underwent medical evaluation [including demographic data, medical history, physical examination, biochemical tests, and assessment of urinary incontinence (ICIQ-UI SF scale) and erectile dysfunction (ED) (IIEF-5 and subjective ED scale)] and psychological evaluation [including assessment of affective temperament using the TEMPS-A scale, depression and anxiety (using HADS), and QoL (EORTC-QLQ-C30 and EORTC-PR25)]. The relationships between individual variables were examined.

Results

Erection quality after treatment was associated with better QoL in most parameters. Similar strong relationships were observed between the urinary incontinence scale and QoL. Depressive, cyclothymic, irritable, and anxious temperaments were associated with decreased QoL. On the EORTC-PR25 scale, associations were observed between a depressive temperament and worse sexual function and urinary symptoms, between a cyclothymic temperament and worse urinary symptoms, and between an irritable temperament and worse sexual functioning. Multivariate analysis identified the severity of anxiety and depression symptoms measured by HADS as the most important psychological factors affecting QoL.

Conclusion

QoL in PC survivors depends on many factors, including age, interval since diagnosis, tumor stage, treatment, complications, and affective temperament profile. Depressive, cyclothymic, irritable, and anxious temperaments were associated with poorer QoL in selected domains, which was not observed for a hyperthymic temperament. The temperament profile of patients was associated with mood and anxiety level, which were important determinants of a poorer QoL.

Behavioral Management as a Coping Strategy for Managing Stressors in Primates: The Influence of Temperament and Species

Primates involved in biomedical research experience stressors related to captivity, close contact with caregivers, and may be exposed to various medical procedures while modeling clinical disease or interventions under study. Behavioral management is used to promote behavioral flexibility in less complex captive environments and train coping skills to reduce stress. How animals perceive their environment and interactions is the basis of subjective experience and has a major impact on welfare. Certain traits, such as temperament and species, can affect behavioral plasticity and learning. This study investigated the relationship between these traits and acquisition of coping skills in 83 macaques trained for cooperation with potentially aversive medical procedures using a mixed-reinforcement training paradigm. All primates successfully completed training with no significant differences between inhibited and exploratory animals, suggesting that while temperament profoundly influences behavior, training serves as an important equalizer. Species-specific differences in learning and motivation manifested in statistically significant faster skill acquisition in rhesus compared with cynomolgus macaques, but this difference was not clinically relevant. Despite unique traits, primates were equally successful in learning complex tasks and displayed effective coping. When animals engage in coping behaviors, their distress decreases, improving welfare and reducing inter- and intra- subject variability to enhance scientific validity.

Impact of Psoriasis on Quality of Life

Psoriasis is a multisystem disorder with a significant impact on the quality of life (QoL) of the patient. QoL in psoriasis is influenced by epidemiological factors, the type and extent of the disease, and underlying comorbidities. Various tools have been developed to assess the QoL in patients with psoriasis, namely psoriasis specific, skin specific, generic QoL, and mixed measures. In this review, we present a concise overview of the different indices and the pros and cons of various tools to assess the impact of psoriasis on patients.

Cognitive appraisal of the disease and stress level in lung cancer patients. The mediating role of coping styles

PURPOSE

The aim of the study was to provide support for the hypothesis that there was a correlation between the subjective appraisal of one's disease and the level of stress, as well as the hypothesis that coping styles may have a mediating role on the relationship between the perception of the disease and stress level in patients diagnosed with lung cancer.

METHODS

The study involved 97 respondents diagnosed with lung cancer, including 50 men and 47 women. The following methods were used for the study: the Disease-Related Appraisals Scale, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, and the Perceived Stress Scale. Socio-demographic data were also collected.

RESULTS

The results show that emotion-oriented coping (EOC) acts as a mediator on the relationship between the appraisal of the disease and stress level in patients diagnosed with lung cancer. A total of 4 multiple mediation models were tested.

CONCLUSION

The research findings provide support for the hypothesis that coping style is crucial for the way patients appraise their disease and for their stress level. It is important to diagnose individual specific needs of lung cancer patients. The research results are an important source of information for those responsible for training medical staff on how to support cancer patients in their illness.