A new eczema research study to help those who live with the stigma of the condition day-to-day – is inviting volunteers to share their experiences through a survey.
The research, funded by the National Eczema Association, aims to identify simple and cost-effective guidance and training that patients can implement to reduce the psychological and social burden of living with atopic eczema.
The approach is set to reduce social anxiety and increase stress resilience of those affected by atopic dermatitis.
Dr Henning Holle, who is the lead investigator for the study, a Reader in Psychology and Leader of the Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience research group at the University of Hull, said: “People with atopic dermatitis often experience social rejection. A big risk in this context is that their skin disease can lead to a spiral of increasing social isolation, driven by a fear of negative social reactions. Every time a person with atopic dermatitis experiences such a negative social reaction, the link between fear, avoidance and further social withdrawal is reinforced. At the same time, the person may become more likely to always carefully monitor the environment for signs that others might reject them.”
In the medical literature, this state is known as hypervigilance, which can lead to a cascade of negative thoughts and emotions, increased anxiety and exhaustion.
The research project aims to determine whether people with atopic dermatitis can learn to escape the vicious and mutually reinforcing cycle of fear and increased attention towards potential social threats.
In the first step, the research will document the degree to which people with atopic dermatitis show hypervigilance or increased monitoring for different types of information (disease-related words, stigma-related words).