The dermatologic intimacy scale: quantitatively measuring the impact of skin disease on intimacy

Abstract

Introduction: Patient-reported outcome measures are increasingly utilized in dermatology to assess the impact of skin disease on quality of life. Despite recognition of the influence of skin disease on intimate relationships, an instrument to assess intimacy has not been developed. The objective of this study was to create the dermatologic intimacy scale (DIS) and administer the prototype to a patient population.

Methods: A group of healthcare providers at the University of California San Francisco created the DIS prototype. A total of 1676 psoriasis patients of an online community were invited to complete a cross-sectional survey including demographic information, DIS, body surface area (BSA) and anatomical involvement.

Results: A total of 1109 patients completed the survey in its entirety. Patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis (BSA ≥3%) had a higher DIS score overall and for each individual question than patients with mild disease (BSA < 3%; p < .001). Patients with genitalia, nails, face, neck and scalp involvement had higher scores compared to patients without involvement (p < .001).

Conclusions: Patients with more extensive disease and specific anatomical involvement experience a greater impact on intimacy. Interpretation is limited by patient response rate, as patients with or without intimacy issues may be more or less likely to respond. Further analysis is necessary for validation and interpretation.

Keywords:

• Intimacy
• dermatology
• skin disease
• patient-reported outcome
• quality of life
• sexuality
• relationships
• psychosocial
• stigma
• psychometric instrument

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Funding

The study was funded by Eli Lilly and Company and supported by the National Psoriasis Foundation.