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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a serious chronic disease that affects daily functioning and quality of life. Two studies were conducted to analyze the role of cognitive variables (namely cognitive appraisals and illness-related beliefs) in adaptation to life with chronic disease. A total of 150 people with rheumatoid arthritis (47 men and 103 women) were assessed both stationary (N = 69) and online (N = 81). The results of study 1 indicate that cognitive appraisals explain a greater percentage of variance than coping strategies with regard to the severity of depressive symptoms and the level of acceptance of living with the disease. In turn, the second study found that social support mediates the relationship between selected cognitive appraisals (loss, challenge and value) and anxiety. The latent profile analysis showed that the subgroups distinguished according to the illness-related beliefs levels differed in cognitive appraisals, but do not in the level of anxiety. The results indicate that cognitive appraisals, in line with theoretical assumptions, seem to be the key psychological factor determining the level of adaptation to life with rheumatoid arthritis. Social resources mediate the relationship between selected cognitive appraisals and anxiety. Cognitive appraisals are modeled through illness-related beliefs, which, in turn, can be modified, e.g. as part of psychological intervention.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that negatively affects functioning; however, the relationship between cognitive appraisals and illness-related beliefs and adaptation indices remains unclear.The aim of this review was to assess the relationship between cognitive appraisals, illness beliefs and indicators of adaptation to life with a chronic disease, such as the severity of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and quality of life.A database search was carried out between May 13 and 18, 2022, with no time restrictions. Thirty studies (5 related to cognitive appraisals, 25 related to illness beliefs) were identified.The studies identified in the review were of satisfactory quality. An analysis of the articles allowed for a meta-analysis focusing on the relationship between the belief related to illness consequences and the severity of depressive symptoms, which gave an overall correlation estimate of 0.50 [0.44-0.56].Both cognitive appraisals and illness beliefs are related to indicators of rheumatoid arthritis adaptation, such as depressive symptom severity, anxiety and acceptance levels. Further longitudinal research would be crucial in further elucidating the impact of cognitive factors on adjustment level and its trajectories over time.Review was pre-registered at https://osf.io/gd9cw (DOI:http://10.17605/OSF.IO/GD9CW).

The aim of the presented research was to distinguish categories of risky behaviors in drivers and to determine whether the age of drivers is associated with undertaking risky behaviors. The study included 120 participants, 60 in early and 60 in middle adulthood. Driver Risk Behavior Questionnaire (DRBQ) was used to measure this type of behavior. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis, allowed to identify three dimensions of risky behaviors: (1) breaking the road traffic law, (2) overestimating own competences and (3) ignoring road hazards. Drivers in early adulthood more often than drivers in middle adulthood revealed risky behaviors resulting from overestimating their own competences and ignoring road hazards. Drivers in middle adulthood consider broader context and more perspectives when analyzing risk.

ObjectiveSocial support has been reported as beneficial for the psychological functioning of people coping with a disease. The objective of this study was to verify whether levels of perceived social support are associated with psychosocial functioning in women who have had a mastectomy and whether specific types of social support are linked to specific indices of functioning.MethodSeventy women with a history of mastectomy completed questionnaires measuring their psychosocial functioning as related to their health status: Disease-Related Appraisal Scale, Acceptance of Life with the Disease Scale and Beck Depression Inventory. All participants also completed a measure of perceived social support (Disease-Related Social Support Scale).ResultsWomen who reported higher levels of perceived social support revealed statistically significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms, higher appraisals of their disease in terms of challenge and value, and lower appraisals of their disease in terms of obstacle/loss. Women with greater social support also revealed higher levels of acceptance of life with the disease compared to those with less social support. Regression analyses showed that spiritual support was the type of support that significantly accounted for the variance in the majority of functioning indices. Some indices of functioning were also significantly accounted for by emotional and instrumental support.Significance of the resultsThe process of psychological adjustment to a life-threatening disease such as breast cancer depends on multiple variables; however, social support, including spiritual support, seems to be one significant contributor to this process.

Background The literature indicates that cognitive appraisals and illness-related beliefs are the key cognitive factors that affect the outcomes of psychological adaptation to chronic illnesses. The main aim of the study was to identify which cognitive appraisals and illness-related beliefs are the best predictors of adaptation to living with chronic illnesses as well as which of these predictors are universal and which are illness-specific. Methods This study analyzed data collected online from 505 participants who reported diagnoses of rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, hypothyroidism, diabetes, and hypertension. Results Adaptation indicators (i.e., depressive symptoms and level of acceptance of living with the disease) differed significantly across samples with different medical diagnoses. Additionally, illness-related cognitive appraisals but not illness-related beliefs made a statistically significant specific contribution to explaining the variance in adaptation indices. Conclusions The predictors of adaptation to living with the disease differ between the diagnoses and the adjustment indicators. The results can contribute to a better matching of therapeutic interventions as well as social campaigns aimed at the ill people.

Objective An increasing number of studies have demonstrated cognitive impairment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The literature indicates many factors play an important role in this clinical problem, such as the severity of depressive symptoms and the treatment used. The aim of this study was to systematically review studies comparing cognitive functioning between healthy participants and RA patients and to determine both the severity and potential moderators of cognitive impairment. Methods For this purpose, 16 studies that fulfilled all selection criteria were carefully selected. Altogether, 921 patients with RA (812 women and 109 men) and 700 controls participated in these studies. Due to the inability to perform a network meta-analysis, it was decided to determine the effect sizes for studies which used the same measurement methods. Results The analysis demonstrated greater impairment of cognitive functioning in patients with RA than in healthy controls, with effect sizes ranging from small to large, depending on the assessment method used in the study. Conclusions The study pinpoints potential biases, lack of replication, and inconsistencies in reporting data as possible confounding factors and suggests further recommendations for assessment methods, research directions and clinical implications. Clinical trial registration Not applicable.

It has been more than two years since our previous newsletter. Much has happened since and it is important to look back and write to you all about the major changes that occurred under the supervision of Dr. Konrad Janowski, the Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Cognitive Psychology (ACP).

OBJECTIVE As demonstrated in a pilot study, hypothyroidism has a highly stressful impact on some areas of functioning. This study aims to evaluate the connection between illness-related beliefs (IRBs) and the impact of hypothyroidism on fertility and close relationships, which were the strongest stressors, and the level of depressive, anxiety, and anger symptoms. METHODS Two hundred and thirteen women being treated for hypothyroidism took part in an online survey and completed the modified Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Hypothyroidism Symptoms Severity rating scales, and a measure of IRBs. Other relevant clinical data were also collected. RESULT Mean levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone indicated that the women were euthyroid. Four groups of participants were identified based on IRBs. The group holding a strong IRB about the negative impact of illness only on close relationships scored significantly higher on depressive symptoms than women in the other groups. The group holding strong IRBs about the negative impact of illness on both close relationships and fertility scored significantly higher on anxiety symptoms than the women in the other groups. Regression analysis showed that IRBs about the negative impact of hypothyroidism predicted anxiety, depressive, and anger symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Negative IRBs about the impact of illness on fertility and close relationships contribute to increased levels of emotional distress symptoms in women being treated for hypothyroidism.

The main objective of this study is to assess the relationships between personality dispositions of entrepreneurs and indicators of economic success in carrying on business in small and medium enterprises in Poland. Two questionnaires collect the data concerning the enterprise's functioning, and serve to measure an entrepreneur's psychological characteristics relevant to entrepreneurship. The sample comprises 294 entrepreneurs who established their companies in Poland between 2008 and 2012. The findings allow for the identification of a profile of personality traits that relate significantly to a more successful company functioning. The results show that a core of personality dispositions may have a relation with most of aspects of a company's functioning, however, other psychological entrepreneurial dispositions may relate more specifically to particular facets of company's functioning. The findings may serve as a “road map” for identifying skills that need improvement, and for developing educational programs and entrepreneurial behaviors as well.

The significance of physical activity for mental well-being has been discussed in detail in the literature on the subject. However, a question arises concerning the relationship between motivation to exercise and psychological functioning. The objective of the present study was to test the relationship between the types of motivation for physical activity and selected indicators of mental health. The study involved 99 men aged between 18 and 60 years old (M=28.20, SD=9.35) who were regular attendees at several gyms in Warsaw. The study used the following methods: the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), developed by Goldberg, the Gym Attendance Motivation Inventory, developed by Awruk and Janowski, and the Personal Data Sheet. A significant negative relationship between intrinsic motivation (to improve one’s physical performance) and symptoms of depression was observed. Significant positive associations were found between the period of training and scores on the Social dysfunction and Somatic symptoms subscales of GHQ-28. The remaining associations were found to be statistically insignificant. In addition, there were no significant differences in motivation to exercise between men with low and high levels of mental health symptoms. The motivational profiles identified in cluster analysis did not differentiate the subjects with respect to mental health indicators.

Social support and knowledge of the disease have been shown to facilitate adaptation to a chronic disease. However, the adaptation process is not fully understood. We hypothesized that these factors can contribute to better adaptation to the disease through their impact on disease-related cognitive appraisal. To analyze the links between social support and the knowledge of the disease, on one hand, and disease-related appraisals, on the other hand, one hundred fifty-eight women with stress UI, aged 32 to 79, took part in the study. Questionnaire measures of knowledge of UI, social support, and disease-related appraisals were used in the study. The level of knowledge correlated significantly negatively with the appraisal of the disease as Harm. The global level of social support correlated significantly positively with three disease-related appraisals: Profit, Challenge, and Value. Four subgroups of patients with different constellations of social support and knowledge of the disease were identified in cluster analysis and were demonstrated to differ significantly on four disease-related appraisals: Profit, Challenge, Harm, and Value. Different cognitive appraisals of UI may be specifically related to social support and knowledge of the disease, with social support affective positive disease-related appraisals, and the knowledge affecting the appraisal of Harm.

Rozumienie pojecia traumy pozostaje waznym zagadnieniem zarowno pod wzgledem teoretycznym, jak i praktycznym (diagnoza i terapia). W artykule przedstawia sie kontrowersje wokol definiowania, diagnozowania traumy oraz ich konsekwencje. Przedmiotem rozwazan uczyniono wspolczesne kryteria definiowania traumy (ujecie szerokie i wąskie), w tym obowiązujące w aktualnych klasyfikacjach zaburzen psychicznych ICD-10 i DSM-5. Omowiono zespoly zaburzen po stresie traumatycznym, wplyw doświadczen traumatycznych na stan zdrowia psychicznego i funkcjonowanie psychospoleczne, przedstawiono takze propozycje zasad wsparcia wobec osob, ktore doświadczyly traumy.

Introduction: Skin conditions have a negative impact on quality of life and it is necessary to quantify this impact. Skindex-29 is a self-report questionnaire developed to measure dermatology-specific quality of life. Aim: The objective of this study is to adapt this questionnaire to Polish conditions. The adaptation procedure involved the works on the linguistic content of the items and testing psychometric properties of the Polish version of Skindex-29, including item characteristics, factorial structure, aspects of reliability and validity. Material and methods: Two-hundred and ninety patients (63.4% women and 35.2% men) suffering from a range of skin conditions were recruited from several dermatological out-patient and in-patient clinics in Poland. Quality of life was measured using Skindex-29 and appropriate clinical data were collected. Results: The global score of Skindex-29 showed the normal distribution. Cronbach’s α reliability coefficients were found to be high to very high for all Skindex-29 indexes. Factor analysis yielded four factors, in contrast to the original version of the questionnaire, for which a three-factor solution had been reported. Skindex-29 validity was demonstrated by showing the differences in the quality of life scores across different diagnostic categories, and between in-patients and out-patients. Skindex-29 global scores were found to be significantly predicted by the localization of the skin lesions on legs, anogenital areas and palms. Conclusions: The findings of this study support reliability and validity of the Polish version of Skindex-29, but they also raise questions to its three-factor structure.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the associations of emotional control with sociodemographic and clinical variables in a sample of patients with a range of chronic somatic diseases. The relationships between emotional control, coping styles and adjustment to the disease were investigated. The sample consisted of 300 patients with the mean age of 54.60 ± 17.57 years. Courtauld Emotional Control Scale was used to measure the patients' tendency to suppress negative emotions, Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations was used to measure coping styles and Acceptance of Illness Scale was applied to determine adjustment to the disease. Patients with neurological conditions showed significantly lower suppression of anger. Levels of emotional control were found to be related to gender, age and educational level but not to the place of residence. Task-oriented style of coping with stress correlated positively with suppression of depression and anxiety, whereas acceptance of illness correlated negatively with suppression of anger. Levels of emotional control are only weakly related to the type of diagnosis; however, some clinical samples may show lower suppression of anger. Suppression of negative emotions is weakly related to adjustment indicators such as certain coping styles and acceptance of illness. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Social support was shown to be an important factor buffering negative effects of stress in a range of clinical populations. Little is known, however, about the role of social support in the population of patients with psoriasis although strong psychosocial stress has been implicated in this disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between social support and selected indices of adaptation to life with the disease, including health-related quality of life, depressive symptoms and acceptance of life with the disease, in a sample of patients with psoriasis. Additionally, gender differences in these relationships were analyzed. One-hundred-four patients with psoriasis completed psychological tests measuring disease-related social support, health-related quality of life, depressive symptoms and acceptance of life with the disease. Psoriasis severity was assessed by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index. The patients reporting higher social support levels had significantly higher quality of life, lower depression levels, and higher acceptance of life with the disease. The strengths of these effects, however, were different in women and men. Higher social support was slightly more closely associated with better acceptance of life with the disease in men than in women. However, higher social support was more closely associated to lower depression and better quality of life in women than in men. Among different types of social support, tangible support was found to be the best predictor for the all adaptation indices. Effects of social support perceived by psoriasis patients on adaptation to the disease may be gender-related and exact pathways of these effects may depend on the type on the dimension of social support and the selected type of adaptation indicator. Tangible support seems the most important type of support contributing to better adaptation in both women and men with psoriasis.

Introduction Neuropsychological assessment of patients with dementia necessitates the use of varied memory tasks designed to measure different memory processes, including information memorization, retention and retrieval. A valid memory battery should be demonstrated to discriminate between demented and non-demented subjects and its scores should be related to the degree of intellectual impairment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential usefulness of Choynowski's Memory Scale in assessment of patients with dementia. Material and methods Thirty-two patients with dementia and 64 age- and gender- matched healthy controls took part in the study. All participants were examined by means of Choynowski's Memory Scale, and the patients were additionally assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination and Clock Drawing Test (CDT). Results All subtests of Choynowski's Memory Scale were found to highly significantly (p ≤ 0.001) discriminate between patients with dementia and healthy controls. Except for Digit Span, all other subtests of Choynowski's battery were highly correlated with the global mental status as assessed by MMSE with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.59 to 0.81. Most subtests of Choynowski's Memory Scale were also moderately or highly correlated with performance on the CDT, and the correlations coefficients between the total score on Memory Scale and the CDT were r = 0.66 and r = 0.61 (p ≤ 0.001) for the free recall drawing and copying, respectively. Conclusions Choynowski's Memory Scale showed high discriminative properties and strong associations with the degree of intellectual impairment in dementia. The results encourage the use of this battery in clinical settings.

Short communications Broca's aphasia is still a relatively poorly understood phenomenon. The Trace Deletion Hypothesis is one of the attempts made to explain linguistically comprehension deficits observable in this disorder. The article presents the main assumptions, claims and consequences of this hypothesis, as well as criticisms it has raised in the literature. This hypothesis offers an opportunity for shedding more light on the issue of agrammatism in Broca's aphasia, and also for improving our understanding of the phenomenon of aphasia as such and, consequently, our understanding of language processing in the human mind.

The Efficacy of Three Interventions Modifying Stereotypes and Prejudice Towards People with Schizophrenia Little is known about the efficacy of various interventions aimed at fighting stereotypes and prejudice towards people with schizophrenia. This study evaluated the efficacy of three interventions: film, meeting a person with schizophrenia, and educational presentation, in reducing stereotypes and prejudice towards people with schizophrenia. Three groups of students were assessed by the Stereotypes and Prejudice Questionnaire before, directly after, and one month after the intervention. A reduction in both stereotypes and prejudice was observed following the educational presentation, and a further decrease in the unfavorable attitudes was observed a month later. Watching the film was found effective in reducing prejudice, however it did not lower stereotypes. Meeting a person suffering from schizophrenia was found to minimize stereotypes but its effects on prejudice were relatively insignificant and temporary. The findings from this study showed that various types of intervention had diverse effects in reducing stereotypes and prejudice.

Background Lichen planus still remains a disease of unclear etiology. Inconclusive reports exist on the role of stress the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in this disease. The objective of this study was to find associations between levels of stress and indices of the endocrine and immune response in patients with lichen planus. Methods A total of 57 patients with lichen planus and 27 healthy control volunteers took part in the study. All participants completed questionnaires measuring the frequency of stressful life events. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for levels of endocrine and immune parameters: neopterin, cortisol, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-18, soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R), sIL-6R, sFasL, T lymphocyte antigens CD3, CD4, CD8, CD25, CD69, HLA-DR, CD16/56, CD45RO and CD45RA. Results Patients differed significantly from the controls in the levels of neopterin (but not cortisol), expression of CD25, CD16, CD8, and CD45RA antigens on T lymphocytes. Patients had also significantly higher levels of sIL-2R, sFasL, sIL-6R and IL-18 than healthy controls. Patients and controls did not differ in the overall frequency of stressful life events experienced over 1 year prior to the study. However, two subgroups of patients with various stress levels differed significantly in the expression of CD25, HLA-DR, CD45RO, and CD45RA on T lymphocytes. Conclusions Our findings suggest that stress may alter numerous parameters of endocrine and immune response in lichen planus, which provides support for its role in the etiopathogenesis of this disease.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a common chronic disease causing pain and severe imitations in mobility. Apart from physical impairment, LBP also affects psychosocial functioning in such domains as interpersonal relationships, emotions or everyday-living activities. In Poland there is a relative lack of tools evaluating the psychosocial functional status in patients with LBP. Objective: The objective of the study was to develop and test psychometric properties of a new instrument measuring dimensions of psychosocial functioning in patients with LBP – Psychosocial Functioning Questionnaire (PFQ) for Patients with Low Back Pain. Subjects and methods: 100 subjects with LBP took part in the study and completed the initial version of PFQ. A subgroup of 30 random patients was tested with PFQ again after 72 hours. Results: Factor analysis revealed five factors explaining 43% of the total variance. After deleting items with inadequate psychometric properties, the factors were taken to construct five subscales of PFQ: 1. Distress in interpersonal context; 2. Limitations in everyday functioning; 3. Acceptance of life with the disease; 4. Depressive complaints; and 5. Sense of being disabled. Intercorrelations between the subscales ranged from 0.36 to 0.69 and showed an expected pattern. Internal consistency coefficients for the subscales ranged from 0.86 to 0.89, and test-retest correlations ranged from 0.80 to 0.90. None of the subscales showed statistically significant associations with such sociodemographic variables as age, gender, marital status, place of residence or duration of the disease. Scores of one subscale – Acceptance of life with the disease – differed significantly in subgroups with various educational levels. Conclusions: PFQ is a reliable questionnaire which could be a useful instrument in evaluation of psychosocial functioning in patients with LBP. Further research is needed to assess other psychometric properties of PFQ.

Subcutaneous mycoses are fungal infections that predominantly affect the dermis and subcutaneous tissue. The most common pathogen responsible for these infections is Candida albicans; however, another yeast from this group, Candida parapsilosis, becomes the cause of increasing numbers of mycotic infections. Recent reports suggested that this microorganism may be particularly resistant to disinfectants, which can facilitate its spread through the medical staff, instruments, and biomaterial. We report a case of a patient in whom a C. parapsilosis infection occurred as a complication following a minor electrocoagulation procedure. Because all obtained laboratory findings were nonspecific, the infection could be properly diagnosed only through cultures from the skin lesion.

Urinary incontinence (UI) is one of the most common diseases in women. It involves uncontrolled leaking of urine through the urethra. UI incidence depends on age and in certain age groups it can affect up to 60% of the female population. The symptoms can be persistent and due to their embarrassing nature they can lead to significant deterioration of quality of life and psychological functioning. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the quality of life and selected aspects of functioning. Seventy female outpatients of a public clinic in Nałęczów, Poland, were examined, and the following methods were used: the Urinary Incontinence Life Quality Scale (Szymona-Pałkowska, Kraczkowski), Disease-Related Appraisal Scale (Janowski, Steuden), Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (Endler, Parker), Disease-Related Social Support Scale (Brachowicz, Janowski, Sadowska), and the Knowledge Appraisal Scale for Urinary Incontinence (Szymona-Pałkowska, Kraczkowski). The obtained results suggest that the strongest predictors for the quality of life with UI would be: perception of the disease as an injustice and a challenge (a reverse relationship) and an avoidance-oriented style of coping with stress through companionship seeking (a positive relationship). The duration of the disease and the level of related knowledge proved to be crucial in the analysis of one dimension, i.e. distance to the symptoms.

Background Pruritus is a common subjective symptom of psoriasis whose levels may be affected by a range of variables. The objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of pruritus and its associations with clinical and psychological characteristics of psoriasis patients. Materials and methods One-hundred and seventy-four patients with psoriasis took part in the study, and they were assessed on clinical (psoriasis area and severity index [PASI], localization of lesions, pruritus severity, duration of the disease) and psychological (coping, personality, cognitive appraisal of the disease, quality of life) variables. ANOVA, Pearson's χ2-tests, and correlational analyses were employed to analyze the data. Results The frequency of reported pruritus was found to be related to PASI (P

The purpose of this study was to analyse the associations of emotional control with sociodemographic and clinical variables in a sample of patients with a range of chronic somatic diseases. The relationships between emotional control, coping styles and adjustment to the disease were investigated. The sample consisted of 300 patients with the mean age of 54.60 ± 17.57 years. Courtauld Emotional Control Scale was used to measure the patients' tendency to suppress negative emotions, Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations was used to measure coping styles and Acceptance of Illness Scale was applied to determine adjustment to the disease. Patients with neurological conditions showed significantly lower suppression of anger. Levels of emotional control were found to be related to gender, age and educational level but not to the place of residence. Task-oriented style of coping with stress correlated positively with suppression of depression and anxiety, whereas acceptance of illness correlated negatively with suppression of anger. Levels of emotional control are only weakly related to the type of diagnosis; however, some clinical samples may show lower suppression of anger. Suppression of negative emotions is weakly related to adjustment indicators such as certain coping styles and acceptance of illness.

Subcutaneous mycoses are fungal infections that predominantly affect the dermis and subcutaneous tissue. The most common pathogen responsible for these infections is Candida albicans; however, another yeast from this group, Candida parapsilosis, becomes the cause of increasing numbers of mycotic infections. Recent reports suggested that this microorganism may be particularly resistant to disinfectants, which can facilitate its spread through the medical staff, instruments, and biomaterial. We report a case of a patient in whom a C. parapsilosis infection occurred as a complication following a minor electrocoagulation procedure. Because all obtained laboratory findings were nonspecific, the infection could be properly diagnosed only through cultures from the skin lesion.

Low back pain (LBP) is a chronic disorder which exerts a profound impact on various spheres of psychosocial functioning, including emotional distress, functional limitations and decrements in social contacts. The objective of this study was to investigate the associations between the indices of psychosocial functioning in patients with chronic LBP and a range of psychological factors. Specifically, the study aimed at exploring the relative participation of personality, social support, disease-related cognitive appraisals and coping styles in accounting for the differences in psychosocial functioning of patients with LBP. One-hundred-twenty patients with LBP took part in the study and completed a battery of psychological questionnaires: NEO–Five Factors Inventory, Ways of Coping Questionnaire, Disease-Related Social Support Scale, Disease-Related Appraisals Scale and Psychosocial Functioning Questionnaire (PFQ). The PFQ dimensions were used as dependent variables in a series of stepwise regression analysis models with the scores from other questionnaires entered as independent variables. A cognitive appraisal of the disease in terms of an obstacle was strongly related to all domains of functioning; however, other appraisals (threat, challenge, harm, profit and overall disease importance) were uniquely associated with particular domains of functioning. Deprivation of social support was a significant predictor of distress experienced in interpersonal context and of sense of being disabled. Among basic personality traits, agreeableness was negatively associated with distress in interpersonal context, and conscientiousness was positively related to acceptance of life with the disease. Problem-focus coping was linked to higher acceptance of life with the disease. Among sociodemographic variables, older age and lower educational level were related to greater subjective feelings of being disabled. Pain severity was found unrelated to any of psychosocial functioning domains. Different aspects of psychosocial functioning are best accounted for by diverse patterns of psychological factors, which suggests involvement of different psychological mechanisms in development of LBP-related disability.

Background Lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] is a genetically determined molecule whose role has been implied in cardiovascular pathology, and whose levels have been reported to be elevated in patients with psoriasis. Aim To assess the serum levels of Lp(a) in patients with psoriasis, and to investigate the associations of Lp(a) with other lipids and with psoriasis severity. Methods Thirty-four patients with psoriasis and 26 healthy control subjects took part in the study. Serum levels of Lp(a) and total, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol fractions were measured in all participants. The levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol were measured using enzymatic colorimetric tests; HDL and LDL cholesterol concentrations were determined by precipitation methods; the VLDL concentration was calculated according to the formula: VLDL cholesterol = triglycerides/5. Results Patients with psoriasis showed significantly higher serum levels of Lp(a) relative to controls. Even when controlling for normolipidemic vs. hyperlipidemic status, abnormal levels of Lp(a) (> 30 mg/dL) were observed significantly more often in patients than in controls. In both patients and controls, Lp(a) levels correlated positively with total and HDL cholesterol levels. In patients, Lp(a) levels correlated positively with psoriasis severity. Conclusions Lp(a) may be a factor contributing to an increased cardiovascular risk in patients with psoriasis. A pathogenetic link may exist between this lipoprotein and psoriatic pathophysiology.

Lichen planus still remains a disease of unclear etiology. Inconclusive reports exist on the role of stress the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in this disease. The objective of this study was to find associations between levels of stress and indices of the endocrine and immune response in patients with lichen planus.A total of 57 patients with lichen planus and 27 healthy control volunteers took part in the study. All participants completed questionnaires measuring the frequency of stressful life events. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for levels of endocrine and immune parameters: neopterin, cortisol, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-18, soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R), sIL-6R, sFasL, T lymphocyte antigens CD3, CD4, CD8, CD25, CD69, HLA-DR, CD16/56, CD45RO and CD45RA.Patients differed significantly from the controls in the levels of neopterin (but not cortisol), expression of CD25, CD16, CD8, and CD45RA antigens on T lymphocytes. Patients had also significantly higher levels of sIL-2R, sFasL, sIL-6R and IL-18 than healthy controls. Patients and controls did not differ in the overall frequency of stressful life events experienced over 1 year prior to the study. However, two subgroups of patients with various stress levels differed significantly in the expression of CD25, HLA-DR, CD45RO, and CD45RA on T lymphocytes.Our findings suggest that stress may alter numerous parameters of endocrine and immune response in lichen planus, which provides support for its role in the etiopathogenesis of this disease.

Various forms of psychological interventions have since long been proposed as potentially helpful adjuncts to standard pharmacological therapy of psoriasis. All studies investigating the effectiveness of psychological intervention in psoriasis reported its positive impact on the patients’ psychological well-being and some studies also reported improvements in the skin condition as a result of psychotherapy. When making a decision about the referral of a given patient to the psychologist, both clinical (psoriasis-specific) and general (psychotherapy-specific) indications should be taken into consideration. This can allow a better identification of those psoriasis patients who are in real need for psychological intervention and who are most likely to benefit from it.