The Relationship between Body Image, Social Appearance Anxiety, Self-Esteem, and Psychological Resilience with Disease Activity in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis

Objective: Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic progressive connective tissue disease characterized by skin and internal organ involvement, autoimmunity, vasculopathy and fibrosis. Changes in body appearance can be a source of stress in patients. In this study, our aim was to investigate the relationship of psychological variables with disease activation in SSc patients. Materials and Methods: 91 patients with scleroderma disease were included in the study. Clinical and laboratory parameters were examined. Carbon monoxide diffusion capacity (DLCO) measurements were recorded by performing Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) on the patients. Body Image, Social Appearance Anxiety, Self-Esteem and Psychological Resilience scales were used. Eustar Activity Index (EAI) was calculated. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 21.0. Results: A significant correlation was found between Anti-Scl70, Ana, Anti-centromere positivity and CRP, hemoglobin values and EAI in scleroderma patients (p<0,05). A significant relationship was found between body image, weight change, disease duration and EAI (p<0,05). Anti-Scl70 positivity was higher in patients who did not use tobacco (p<0,05). A significant correlation was found between hemoglobin, TSH values and body image (p<0,05). Conclusion: The significant correlation between body image, weight change, disease duration and disease activity suggested that psychological and laboratory variables interact with each other in SSc patients. It was thought that the psychological aspect of the disease should not be ignored in the patient evaluation. In our study, it was observed that Anti-Scl70 positivity significantly increased the EAI. Again, in our study, it was observed that as EAI increased, the negativity in body image increased. As a result, it was thought that negative body image was more common in patients with diffuse scleroderma. We recommend that these and similar parameters be studied in larger patient groups. Keywords: Systemic Sclerosis Disease,Body image, Self-Esteem, Social Appearance Anxiety, Psychological Resilience, Eustar Activity Index