International journal of behavioral medicine
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Psoriasis (PS) is a frequent skin disease accompanied by itch, a symptom that has been shown to be related to depression and self-consciousness. PS patients describe themselves as more agreeable than healthy controls (HC), a trait that might be protective against impulsive scratching. ⋯ This study showed distinct findings for PS patients and HC regarding the relationship between agreeableness and induced scratching. The relationship between public self-consciousness and induced itch was positive in both groups. The distinct finding regarding agreeableness supports the idea that scoring low on this scale might be a protective factor for scratching in PS patients. Future research should investigate mediating factors of the outlined relationships.