[Psychosomatic aspects of psoriasis: affectivity and conflict]

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychosomatic Medicine
• Dermatology

Background:

• Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition with potential psychosomatic components.
• Psychosomatic theories suggest a link between psychological factors and the development of physical illnesses.
• Understanding the role of childhood affectivity and conflict-coping mechanisms is crucial in psychosomatic research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate possible disturbances in childhood affective development among psoriasis patients.
• To analyze the conflict-coping behaviors, including denial and repression, in individuals with psoriasis.
• To explore the relationship between disturbed affectivity, pathological conflict-coping, and the psychosomatic aspects of psoriasis.

Main Methods:

• Cluster and factor analysis were employed to analyze data from 32 psoriasis patients and 22 controls.
• Investigated childhood affective development and conflict-coping strategies.
• Compared psychological profiles of patients with a control group.

Main Results:

• Psoriasis patients demonstrated pathological conflict-coping behaviors and disturbed affective development.
• Evidence suggests an inhibition of immediate psychic discharge of affects in patients.
• Two distinct subtypes of psoriasis patients with specific character traits were identified, but no typical personality profile emerged.

Conclusions:

• Disturbed affective development and pathological conflict-coping behavior are implicated in the genesis of psoriasis.
• These psychological factors may lead to chronic overstrain of psychic structures, correlating with the psychosomatic illness.
• The findings highlight the complex interplay between psychological factors and the manifestation of psoriasis.