Identification and characterization of alopecia areata subgroups regarding quality of life impairment based on demographic, clinical, psychological, and social factors.
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The benign dermatological hair condition Alopecia Areata (AA) is known to impair Quality of Life (QoL), especially mental and social health, due to the accompanying visible appearance changes. Previous studies have identified demographic, clinical, social, and psychological variables related to QoL. Yet, the novelty of this study lies in examining how QoL differences in AA relate to (combinations of) these variables. The aim of the current study is to identify and characterize subgroups of AA persons with less or more QoL impairment by means of (combinations of) demographic, clinical, psychological, and social factors, including both potential risk (perceived stigmatization, avoidant coping, physical identity definition) and protective factors (disclosure, social support, emotion-focused coping and non-physical identity definition). An online questionnaire was filled out by 322 persons with AA, including the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) as QoL measure, Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire (FSQ), brief COPE, Social Support Survey, a newly developed identity-definition measure, clinical characteristics, and demographics. Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis identified subgroups based on QoL outcome. Lowest QoL impairment was found in persons with low feelings of being flawed combined with low secretiveness. Low QoL impairment was also found in persons feeling flawed combined with low avoidant coping, low sensitivity to others' opinions and older age. QoL impairment was intermediate in persons perceiving more social support in those with a younger age, and defining identity less on physical appearance in those sensitive to others' opinions. Highest QoL impairment was characterized by feeling flawed combined with an avoidant coping style. Current findings provide indications for the identification of risk and protective profiles for QoL impairment and which factors to address in interventions to improve QoL in AA.
众所周知,脱发(AA)这种良性皮肤病会影响患者的生活质量(QoL),尤其是心理和社交健康,因为伴随而来的是明显的外观变化。以往的研究已经确定了与生活质量相关的人口、临床、社会和心理变量。然而,本研究的新颖之处在于研究 AA 的 QoL 差异与这些变量(组合)的关系。本研究的目的是通过人口、临床、心理和社会因素(组合),包括潜在风险(感知到的耻辱感、回避应对、身体身份定义)和保护因素(披露、社会支持、以情感为中心的应对和非身体身份定义),来识别和描述 QoL 受损程度较轻或较重的 AA 人亚群。322名AA患者填写了一份在线问卷,其中包括皮肤病生活质量指数(DLQI)(作为衡量QoL的指标)、感知污名化问卷(FSQ)、简短COPE、社会支持调查、新开发的身份定义指标、临床特征和人口统计学特征。分类和回归树(CART)分析根据 QoL 结果确定了亚组。低缺陷感和低隐秘性患者的 QoL 受损程度最低。感觉自己有缺陷,同时又有低回避应对能力、对他人意见低敏感度和年龄较大的人,其 QoL 受损程度也较低。在年龄较小的人群中,认为自己有更多社会支持的人的 QoL 受损程度处于中等水平;在对他人意见敏感的人群中,认为自己的外貌不那么重要的人的 QoL 受损程度处于中等水平。QoL 受损程度最高的特征是感觉自己有缺陷,同时又有回避的应对方式。目前的研究结果为确定生活质量受损的风险和保护性特征以及在干预措施中改善 AA 人的生活质量时应考虑哪些因素提供了指示。
期刊介绍:
Psychology, Health & Medicine is a multidisciplinary journal highlighting human factors in health. The journal provides a peer reviewed forum to report on issues of psychology and health in practice. This key publication reaches an international audience, highlighting the variation and similarities within different settings and exploring multiple health and illness issues from theoretical, practical and management perspectives. It provides a critical forum to examine the wide range of applied health and illness issues and how they incorporate psychological knowledge, understanding, theory and intervention. The journal reflects the growing recognition of psychosocial issues as they affect health planning, medical care, disease reaction, intervention, quality of life, adjustment adaptation and management.
For many years theoretical research was very distant from applied understanding. The emerging movement in health psychology, changes in medical care provision and training, and consumer awareness of health issues all contribute to a growing need for applied research. This journal focuses on practical applications of theory, research and experience and provides a bridge between academic knowledge, illness experience, wellbeing and health care practice.