PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS OF QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH ALOPECIA

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychosocial factors of quality of life of individuals with Alopecia. Psychosocial factors under investigation included Life Orientation, Perceived Stigmatization, Appearance Anxiety, Perceived Stigmatization and Anxiety. Furthermore, the study aimed to evaluate relative contribution of demographic and clinical factors in the context. It was hypothesized that there exists a significant relationship between Life Orientation, Perceived Stigmatization, Appearance Anxiety and Quality of Life (Qol) of Patients with Alopecia and anxiety moderated the relationship. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that there is likely to be a significant relationship between sociodemographic and clinical factors and psychosocial factors of Qol. The research design was correlational, and the data was gathered using convenient sampling technique, with a sample size of 132 participants (N=132) estimated by G*Power. Several assessment measures were employed, including demographic and clinical information sheets, Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT- R) (Scheier, Carver, & Bridges, 1994), Hairdex Questionnaire (Fischer et.al 2001), The Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS) ( Hart et al. 2005), The Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire (PSQ) (Lawrence et al. 2001), The Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) were used. Data was collected from department of dermatology of different hospitals of Lahore and Islamabad as well as from different private clinics and social groups. Participants were also approached through social media. The results revealed significant correlations between perceived stigmatization, social appearance anxiety, general anxiety, and QoL. Perceived stigmatization (M = 2.68, SD = 0.63) was highly correlated with social appearance anxiety (M = 43.95, SD = 11.65) and general anxiety (M = 9.75, SD = 5.52). Multiple regression analysis showed that social appearance anxiety (β = .38, p < .001) and general anxiety (β = .24, p < .001) were significant predictors of QoL, explaining 64% of the variance. Additionally, moderation analysis demonstrated that anxiety significantly moderated the relationship between perceived stigmatization and QoL.