Stigmatization, a social perception which may have a debilitating impact on hidradenitis suppurativa patients: an observational study

• Published in: Archives of Dermatological Research Vol. 315; no. 4; pp. 1049 - 1052
• Main Authors: Singh, Rohan, Kelly, Katherine A., Senthilnathan, Aditi, Feldman, Steven R., Pichardo, Rita O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.05.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anxiety; Anxiety - psychology; Chronic illnesses; Dermatology; Hidradenitis Suppurativa - psychology; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Observational studies; Patients; Quality of life; Quality of Life - psychology; Short Report; Social anxiety; Social Perception; Stereotyping; Stigma; Depression; Hidradenitis suppurativa; Stigmatization; Social anxiety; Quality of life
• ISSN: 1432-069X; 0340-3696; 1432-069X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00403-022-02412-5

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a debilitating disease and patients are prone to feelings of stigmatization. In our cohort, we assessed how feelings of stigmatization may relate to patient quality of life (QOL), depression, and social anxiety. Participants completed the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) to assess QOL, Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) to assess depression, the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation (BFNE) to assess social anxiety, and an adapted version of the Feelings of Stigmatization (FoS) to assess stigmatization. The FoS also correlated with DLQI ( R  = 0.68), PHQ-9 ( R  = 0.42), and BFNE ( R  = 0.52). Participants with greater FoS were also more likely to have worse QOL (18.1), higher levels of depression (11.1), and higher social anxiety (30.1), as compared to those with less FoS (6.7, P  < 0.001; 4.9, P  < 0.001; 23.2, P  < 0.001, respectively). HS is a chronic disease with no definitive treatment. Effective screening protocols, coupled with pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions, may help patients with HS’s psychosocial burden.