Psoríase e ajustamento psicológico: relação entre sintomas depressivos, ansiosos e regulação emocional

Abstract

This dissertation’s objective was to investigate facets of psychological adjustment in adult patients affected by psoriasis, as well as its implications for mental health outcomes, namely, depressive and anxiety symptoms. To this end, three studies were carried out. Study 1 consisted of a narrative review of the literature, which aimed to characterize the field of Psychodermatology and present stress as an explanatory model for the relationship between skin diseases and psychological aspects. Also, it sought to point out some of the main skin diseases and the burden of suffering associated with them, as well as to present findings on psychological constructs related to adjustment, emphasizing the relevance of psychological interventions when facing dermatological conditions. Study 1 showed how much emotional regulation is a variable that has been associated with psychological adjustment and that deserves to be better studied concerning skin diseases. In Study 2, an integrative literature review was developed, aiming to gather evidence about the association between emotional regulation and depressive and anxiety disorders. In this study, it was observed that cognitive reappraisal has been positively correlated with psychopathological symptoms, while emotional suppression was negatively correlated with depressive and anxious symptoms. There was a gap in studies carried out in Brazil on this theme, as well as the need to investigate the functioning of emotional regulation in different groups, to compare the use of these strategies in different populations. Finally, Study 3 consisted of an empirical investigation with 72 psoriatic patients (mean age = 43.4 years; SD = 11.78) and 72 individuals without psoriasis (mean age = 41.0 years; SD = 10.42), aiming to assess the relationship between emotional regulation strategies and the occurrence of depressive and anxiety disorders in both groups. Besides, it sought to show whether this relationship differed between the sample groups. The results indicated that patients with psoriasis were more likely to have an anxiety disorder than the group without psoriasis. Furthermore, the emotional suppression strategy appeared to work adaptively for patients with psoriasis without a diagnosis of anxiety, because this group, when exhibiting high suppression, did not demonstrate significant anxiety levels. Given the evidence of how limiting psoriasis can be, the present dissertation found how variables associated with psychological adjustment, such as emotional regulation, can help to understand the occurrence of psychopathological symptoms in skin diseases. It is considered that the findings pointed out here may contribute to the realization of psychological interventions aiming at promoting the mental health of these patients, providing better coping with the disease and greater quality of life.