Negative Emotions in Skin Disorders: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Psychodermatology
• Medical Psychology
• Dermatology

Background:

• The interplay between psychological factors and skin conditions is increasingly recognized.
• Understanding the emotional burden of dermatological diseases is crucial for comprehensive patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review literature trends on emotions in dermatological diseases.
• To identify under-researched emotions within this field.
• To propose future research directions for psychodermatology.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive computerized literature search was conducted.
• 41 relevant studies were identified and analyzed.
• Bibliometric qualitative analysis was performed using VOSViewer software.

Main Results:

• Research on emotions in skin disease is heavily concentrated on sadness/depression and fear/anxiety.
• Emotions such as anger and disgust are significantly under-explored in empirical studies.
• Specific conditions like vitiligo (sadness/depression), dermatitis (fear/anxiety), and psoriasis (anger) dominate existing research.

Conclusions:

• Current research presents an imbalance, neglecting key emotions like anger and disgust in dermatological contexts.
• There is a critical need to expand research beyond commonly studied emotions to encompass a wider emotional spectrum.
• Future psychodermatology research should investigate the role of under-explored emotions in skin disorder development and impact.