Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory and non-infectious skin disease. It is one of the most common dermatoses. Increased reproduction of the epidermis and, as a consequence, visible skin lesions negatively affect the patient's psyche, disrupt self-esteem, reducing the chance of accepting the disease and a normal life.The aim of this study was the assessment of the level of acceptance of the illness and identification of factors affecting its acceptance among patients with psoriasis.Materials and methods: The study involved 132 individuals, comprising 113 women and 19 men. This survey-based study was conducted via the Internet using the author's questionnaire and the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS).Results: Acceptance of the illness level was rated great and moderate by respectively 43.9% and 39.4% of respondents. Over 66.7% of the patients described their self-esteem as high obtained a great level of acceptance of the illness according to the AIS. In the examined group, 58% of the patients not accepted psoriatic lesions on their body. Over 60% of the respondents experienced negative reactions from society regarding the disease, and almost 50% of them experienced other people’s reactions resulting from concerns about contracting the disease; these patients obtained lower AIS scores.Conclusions: The obtained results indicate a great illness acceptance among the examined group of the patients with psoriasis. The level of acceptance was influenced by the patient’s self-esteem in relation to the disease, acceptance of their own body image, altered by the disease, experiencing the negative reactions from the society regarding the disease, and the reactions of the other people resulting from concerns about contracting the disease.
The level of acceptance of the illness among patients with psoriasis
