Abstract
Objective : The relation between atopic dermatitis (AD) and anxiety is well documented. Recent research has demonstrated that trait anxiety, "anxiety to itch", and anxiety sensitivity are related. However, it is not clarified that which anxiety has affected strongly on the symptoms. The aims of this study is to examine the feature of adult AD patient's anxiety and to clarify the relationship between anxiety and other characteristics. Method : Thirty-seven adult AD patients and 46 healthy adults who have no physical symptoms and/or mental disorders were selected for this study. The participants and healthy adult controls were asked to fill out the self-rating scale of the Itch Anxiety Scale for Atopic Dermatitis (IAS-AD), the Anxiety Sensitivity Inventory (ASI), the Body Vigilance Scale (BVS), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Form JYZ (STAI-JYZ). The severity of AD symptoms were rated by a dermatologist. Results : Significant differences were recognized between two groups only on the IAS-AD and the BVS. It was judged that 3 clusters were appropriate by the cluster analysis. Each cluster was named the high anxiety cluster, the low anxiety cluster, and the physical anxiety cluster. While healthy adults were found more in the low anxiety cluster, adults AD patients were more in the high anxiety and physical anxiety clusters. Conclusion : It was suggested that more attention on the specific anxiety such as "anxiety to itch" seems to be important to reduce adult AD patient's anxiety. In the future, it is necessary to construct an appropriate psychological approach based on this result.
