Psychology Research and Behavior Management (Dec 2019)

Alexithymia in Patients with Psoriasis: A Cross-Sectional Study from Ecuador

  • Cherrez-Ojeda I,
  • Vanegas E,
  • Felix M,
  • Cherrez S,
  • Suárez-Almendariz D,
  • Ponton J,
  • Preciado V,
  • Ollague-Cordova E,
  • Loayza E

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 12
pp. 1121 – 1126

Abstract

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Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda,1,2 Emanuel Vanegas,1,2 Miguel Felix,1,2 Sofia Cherrez,2,3 Delia Suárez-Almendariz,4 Johana Ponton,5 Vladimir Preciado,6 Edgar Ollague-Cordova,7 Enrique Loayza5 1Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondón, Ecuador; 2Respiralab Research Group, Guayaquil, Ecuador; 3School of Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; 4Departamento de Dermatología, Honorable Cuerpo Consular de Damas, Durán, Ecuador; 5Departamento de Dermatología, Hospital Luis Vernaza, Guayaquil, Ecuador; 6Área de Fototerapia, Hospital Luis Vernaza, Guayaquil, Ecuador; 7Clínica Dermatológica Ollague, Guayaquil, EcuadorCorrespondence: Ivan Cherrez-OjedaUniversidad Espíritu Santo, Km. 2.5 vía La Puntilla, Samborondón 0901-952, EcuadorTel +5934511455Email [email protected]: We designed this study to determine the frequency of alexithymia in Ecuadorian patients with psoriasis, as well as possible associations between demographic factors, disease severity, and treatment adherence.Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 99 Ecuadorian patients with psoriasis was conducted. Multinomial logistic regressions were performed to ascertain whether age, gender, educational level, years with disease, psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) scores, and treatment adherence categories are prediction factors in patients with psoriasis to present alexithymia, possible alexithymia or no alexithymia.Results: A total of 99 patients participated in the study with a gender distribution of 57.6% male, and an average age and years with disease of 48.3 and 7.4, respectively. Out of all patients, 33.3% presented alexithymia, and 22.2% possible alexithymia, as assessed by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). The multiple regression model statistically significantly predicted the TAS-20 score from age, gender, educational level, years with psoriasis, PASI score and level of adherence F (7,88) = 4.171, p = 0.001, adj. R2= 0.189. Only having the highest educational level added statistical significance to the prediction of having a lower TAS-20 score, whilst the remainder variables did not.Conclusion: We found a similar proportion of alexithymia, as well of average TAS-20 scores among Ecuadorian patients with psoriasis in comparison to previous studies. Only having the highest educational level was found to decrease the TAS-20 score. Age, gender, years with psoriasis, PASI score and level of adherence were not identified as factors that influence the TAS-20 score.Keywords: Alexithymia, psoriasis, Latin America, treatment adherence

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