%0 Journal Article
%T Gender, Body Image and Social Support: Biopsychosocial Determinants of Depression Among Patients with Psoriasis
%J -
%@ 1651-2057
%D 2017
%R 10.2340/00015555-2483
%X The aim of this study was to examine the importance of psychosocial factors, such as emotional and instrumental social support, distress, and assumptions about appearance and its salience to one¡¯s self-worth, and to relate these factors to depressive symptoms in patients with psoriasis, according to gender. A group of 219 patients with psoriasis, aged 18¨C70 years completed the Beck Depression Inventory, the Appearance Schemas Inventory-Revised, the Berlin Social Support Scales, and the Distress Thermometer. Body Surface Area index was used to assess the severity of psoriasis. The main contributors to depression were: female gender, beliefs about appearance and its salience to one¡¯s self-worth, greater psychological distress, and lower levels of emotional social support. Therefore, improving the body image of patients with psoriasis, by reducing its salience in their personal lives, may play a role in the prevention of depression, especially in women.
%U http://www.medicaljournals.se/acta/content/abstract/10.2340/00015555-2483