A psychometric study of patients with nail dystrophies.

Abstract

Survey studies suggest that patients with various dermatologic conditions experience concomitant psychologic distress. The purpose of this study was to determine which types of psychologic distress may be correlated with dystrophic disease of the nail in nonpsychiatric patients. Fifty-seven adult subjects presenting for treatment of nail dystrophies completed a survey instrument, which included 5 psychometric measures. On average, patients rated the severity of their nail dystrophy and functional deficit higher (7.40/10 and 6.00, respectively) than investigators (6.15 and 3.75, respectively). Compared with age- and sex-matched nonpsychiatric patients, subjects in the study were moderately more anxious and minimally to mildly more depressed. Subjects had moderately depressed total self-concept, but their body image was approximately normal. Overall, subjects exhibited markedly more severe psychologic symptoms (84th percentile) than the normal sample, with the scores on the psychoticism, obsessive-compulsive, and paranoid ideation subscales being the most elevated. The subjects with nail dystrophy had markedly exacerbated psychologic symptoms compared with age- and sex-matched nonpsychiatric patients.