Stress resilience in adolescence

[Fred]

This Swedish study looked at compulsory military service in men and psoriasis.

Quote:

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Background:
Although stress is considered to be a negative factor for psoriasis, no convincing scientific evidence of this association exists, largely because of difficulties in measuring stress. Stress resilience is the ability to cope with and adapt to stressful events. Stress resilience can be measured in a standardized way and used as a marker for chronic stress.

Objectives:
The objective of this study is to investigate whether low stress resilience in adolescence increases the risk for onset of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis later in life.

Methods:
A cohort of Swedish men (mean age 18.3 years), enrolled in compulsory military service between 1968 and 2005, was created using data from the Swedish Military Service Conscription Register (n = 1,669,422). Stress resilience at conscription was estimated using standardized semi-structured interviews, and was divided into three categories: low, medium and high. The men were followed from conscription until new-onset psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, death or emigration or at the latest until 31 December 2019. Cox regression models adjusted for confounders at conscription were used to obtain hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incident psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Results:
Men in the lowest stress resilience category had an increased risk of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (HR 1.31 (95% CI 1.26–1.36) and 1.23 (95% CI 1.15–1.32), respectively), compared with those in the highest stress resilience category. When including only hospitalized patients the HRs for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in the lowest stress resilience group were 1.79 (1.63–1.98) and 1.53 (1.32–1.77), respectively.

Conclusions:
This large, prospective register study suggests that low stress resilience in adolescence is associated with an increased risk of incident psoriasis among men. The results indicate that patients with psoriasis have an inherent psychological vulnerability, and highlight the importance of addressing psychological well-being in the management of psoriasis.

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com

*Funding: Swedish State

[mataribot]

Is it me, or I am just being cynical? Or does sound like a doctor is going to tell me "...reduce your stress and all your psoriasis will go away... "

[Fred]

Is it me, or I am just being cynical? Or does sound like a doctor is going to tell me "...reduce your stress and all your psoriasis will go away... "

I do think low stress levels can help, but no it won't make it go away.

[Kat]

I had to read it twice as the first time it did sound a bit like it was saying stress can cause psoriasis (not exactly but a bit hinted at) Of course we know stress can add to having a flare up.

Second read I get it means that people WITH psoriasis also seem to have a greater chance of having stress (which makes sense to anyone with psoriasis as anytime you have more to deal with you increase your stress levels)

I'm still not totally sure what this study is trying to say though.

[Fred]

I'm still not totally sure what this study is trying to say though.

Nope I'm not sure either.

[mataribot]

I think they are trying to say that there is a correlation between stress and worsening psoriasis and people with psoriasis are more likely have stress problems than those without psoriasis. I would make a bet this result is more regional based then let on.

[Kat]

I think they are trying to say that there is a correlation between stress and worsening psoriasis and people with psoriasis are more likely have stress problems than those without psoriasis. I would make a bet this result is more regional based then let on.

That makes sense.

[Caroline]

And so again this result is making more sense, after discussing about it.

[Trampledrosie]

I have been told by several health professionals that stress can indeed cause psoriasis and other skin issues. Where I am has a disproportionate rate of skin disorders, particularly psoriasis. My favourite nurse was telling me that during their intake they ask about stress and people often say there hasn’t been anything that stressful, just normal life but then they later remember that something very stressful did happen around the time their condition started. For me, I think it was an autoimmune response to my body having cancer and the treatment that goes with it and it was the beginning of Covid, my Dad had died and I still had not processed that and my psychologist was leaving. It was a time of extreme stress. I had dermagraphism already which is triggered by stress but that had been under control for years. Not saying that it can actually be caused by stress, just relating my experience.

[Caroline]

I am with you at your point of: “not saying that..”

But that stress is an important factor, perhaps combined with a (small) genetic element, I am really with that idea, concerning my own PsA what indeed also started after extreme stress.
I think there must be more going on, that changes something in your body what makes it chronic