Health-Related Quality of Life in adolescents with psoriasis: an interview-based study

Abstract

Background

Psoriasis is a common skin disease affecting the physical, psychological and social well-being of patients and their families. Most research so far has been limited to adults, and little is known about the qualitative experiences of young people with psoriasis.

Objectives

To provide an in-depth understanding of the impact of psoriasis on adolescents' Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL).

Methods

Patients and their parents were recruited from a dermatology outpatient clinic, the Danish National Birth Cohort, and the Danish Psoriasis Association. A total of 36 semi-structured interviews were conducted with adolescents with psoriasis 12-17 years old (n=18), their parents (n=14) and health professionals working with psoriasis (n=4). Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using inductive thematic analysis.

Results

The participants reported psoriasis-related HRQoL challenges within six main themes: physical symptoms, feeling different, psoriasis-related worry about the future, increased attention, attempts to conceal skin, and treatment-related frustrations and worry. Taken together, a broad range of the reported difficulties appeared to arise from appearance-related concerns. The impact of psoriasis and its treatment on the adolescents' daily lives varied considerably.

Conclusions

This first in-depth, qualitative study of HRQoL in adolescents with psoriasis provides a conceptual framework for understanding the impact of psoriasis and its treatment on physical, psychological and social aspects of their daily life.

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