Korean J Dermatol.
1998 Dec;36(6):990-996.
The Relationship between Coping Mechanisms and Psychological Symptoms in Vitiligo Patients
Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is an acquired disorder which causes body disfiguring and may provoke emotional stress, functional impairment, and psychiatric symptoms.
OBJECTIVE
(1) To assess whether the psychiatric symptoms are more frequent in vitiligo patients than control patients. (2) To investigate whether the vitiligo patients with more severe psychiatric symptoms use more negative and passive coping mechanisms than patients with less severe psychiatric symptoms. To carry out this study we evaluated psychiatric symptoms, problems in daily activities, and the relation-ship between coping mechanisms and psychiatric symptoms.
METHODS
A clinical study was done on 150 vitiligo patients. Other dermatology patients were used as a control group. Both groups had visited the dermatology clinic of the Severance hospital. Questionaires regarding age, sex, severity of disease, duration of disease, SCL-90(symptom check list 90), the coping list of Weisman, and items for adaptability of daily activity were recorded.
Results
: Male vitiligo patients showed more psychological symptoms than female patients. Vitiligo patients had many more difficulties in daily activities than the control patients. The patients who had more severe psychiatric symptoms used more negative and passive coping mechanisms than less severe patients.
Conclusion
: Vitiligo provoked psychiatric symptoms and difficulties in daily activities. Psychiatrically more severe patients used negative and passive coping mechanisms. Comprehensive dermatologic and psychiatric treatment may be required in the treatment of vitiligo.
