Stigmatizing attitudes towards individuals with psoriasis and its predictors in the Dutch population

Stigmatization frequently occurs in individuals with a skin condition such as psoriasis, which can negatively influence their mental health and disease status. While stigma is known to be the leading cause of disability for these individuals, little is known about stigmatizing attitudes among the general population and its correlates. This study aimed to examine stigmatizing attitudes towards psoriasis among the Dutch population and investigated possible predictors. An online survey was administered to 124 participants, which were recruited based on convenience sampling. A 3 x 1 within-subject cross-sectional design was used, investigating the difference in stigmatizing attitudes towards the health conditions psoriasis and common cold (included due to COVID-19), and a healthy control condition. To describe the different conditions, vignettes were used. A one-way repeated measure Manova examined differences between the three conditions on stigmatizing attitudes (assessed by a social...Show moreStigmatization frequently occurs in individuals with a skin condition such as psoriasis, which can negatively influence their mental health and disease status. While stigma is known to be the leading cause of disability for these individuals, little is known about stigmatizing attitudes among the general population and its correlates. This study aimed to examine stigmatizing attitudes towards psoriasis among the Dutch population and investigated possible predictors. An online survey was administered to 124 participants, which were recruited based on convenience sampling. A 3 x 1 within-subject cross-sectional design was used, investigating the difference in stigmatizing attitudes towards the health conditions psoriasis and common cold (included due to COVID-19), and a healthy control condition. To describe the different conditions, vignettes were used. A one-way repeated measure Manova examined differences between the three conditions on stigmatizing attitudes (assessed by a social distance scale, a direct and indirect version of the impact of skin condition in daily life scale, stereotype endorsement scale, and emotion ratings). In addition, zero-order correlations and multiple regression analyses investigated possible predictors of stigmatizing attitudes towards psoriasis, including sociodemographic variables, familiarity and knowledge about psoriasis, indicators of the behavioral immune system and fear of corona. Manova analysis displayed higher stigmatizing attitudes towards individuals with psoriasis as compared to the control group (p<.001). Besides, overall higher stigmatizing attitudes towards a common cold as compared to the psoriasis group were found. Higher stigmatizing attitudes towards psoriasis were correlated with lower knowledge, higher pathogen disgust, higher perceived infectability, male gender, and familiarity with psoriasis. No correlations were found regarding age, education, fear of corona, or gem aversion. Multiple regression displayed male gender, higher levels of pathogen disgust, and lower levels of knowledge about psoriasis to be predictors of stigmatizing attitudes (p<.05). Stigmatizing attitudes towards psoriasis is shown to be prevalent in Dutch society. As stigmatizing attitudes were shown to be related to reduced knowledge and male gender, future interventions might focus on these factors. Besides, different age groups and professions could be investigated in future studies. Further research is needed, as stigma towards psoriasis is rarely been investigated among the public.Show less

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Stigmatizing attitudes towards individuals with psoriasis and its predictors in the Dutch population