Temperament and character profile of patients with psoriasis

Psychosocial factors have been implicated as being important in the onset and/or exacerbation of psoriasis.(1) The aim of this study is to examine both the personality factors of patients with psoriasis and the correlations between temperament and character dimensions.

A total number of 105 psoriasis patients and 109 healthy individuals were enrolled in the study. Questionnaires including Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) were administered individually. Both groups were evaluated in terms of depression, anxiety and characteristic features by using these psychological tests and compared statistically. The relationship between psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score and the BDI, BAI and TCI scales were also evaluated.

The mean BDI score of the psoriasis group were significantly higher than the control group. The psoriasis group had significantly higher scores of harm avoidance and lower scores of being self-directedness than the control group. The duration of psoriasis and the PASI scores were not correlated with BDI and BAI scores.

The current study shows that psoriasis patients have distinctive temperament and character dimensions when compared with the control group. We suggest that evaluation and treatment of psoriasis should also include psychosomatic approaches in clinical practice.