Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms in patients with psoriasis and the association between depressive symptoms, perceived stress level, and quality of life of the participants.
Methods: Patients with psoriasis were invited to complete the Thai versions of the Patient Health Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale-10, Psoriasis Disability Index, and Simplified Psoriasis Index. To identify significantly related factors of depression, the independent sample t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test was performed to compare continuous variables between groups, and the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was used to compare categorical variables between groups. The association between the severity of depression and other variables was examined using Spearman's correlation coefficient.
Results: Of the 150 participants assessed, 32 (21.3%) had depressive symptoms. Elevated stress scores, subjective psychosocial impact of psoriasis, self-perceived current severity of psoriasis, and impaired quality of life were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Depressive symptom severity was determined to be positively correlated with perceived stress, quality-of-life impairment, current severity, and the psychosocial impact of psoriasis.
Conclusion: Depressive symptoms are prevalent among patients with psoriasis. Those with high scores for perceived stress, a psychosocial impact of psoriasis, or disease severity should be evaluated for depression, as it can hamper their quality of life.
Keywords: Depression; chronic disease; psoriasis; psychological stress; quality of life.
2024 authors.