Quality of life and its influencing factors in patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus: Based on a questionnaire survey of 198 adult women

Abstract

Objective To investigate the status of quality of life in adult women patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus and its influencing factors, and to provide evidence for optimizing their quality of life. Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out from June 2019 to April 2021 among adult women patients [ (40.98±7.43) yeas old] with vulvar lichen sclerosus recruited by convenience sampling in a single center. Research instruments included the general information questionnaire, dermatology life quality index (DLQI), female sexual function index (FSFI) and hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS). Data cleaning, statistical description, single factor analysis and multivariate regression analysis were completed with SPSS 25.0 software. Results The score of the quality of life in adult women patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus was (11.31±6.22). The result of multivariate regression analysis showed that sexual dysfunction, anxiety, depression, previous treatment, course of disease and menopause were risk factors of low quality of life for patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus (P<0.05). Conclusion The quality of life in adult women patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus is not high. Medical staff should pay more attention to the physiological and mental health related factors of patients′ quality of life, and give targeted intervention and care, so as to improve patients′ quality of life.

Keywords

• vulvar lichen sclerosus
• quality of life
• anxiety
• depression
• nursing care