Table 3.

Factors Influencing Symptomatology: Subcodes and Exemplary Quotations

Subcode	Exemplary quotation
Stress	“Most of all, stress. I felt that it [stress] actually intensified it [psoriasis] again, […], perhaps even restricted the treatment” P5 (male, 54 years)
Mental well-being	“What might have exerted a positive influence is if something like that [psoriasis treatment] had been accompanied psychotherapeutically in some way” P5 (male, 54 years)
Self-efficacy	“So, I notice if something [symptom] is recurring, and once I treat it, it stays small” P2 (female, 58 years)
Disease acceptance	“This mentality of saying ‘OK, it doesn’t matter, there are worse things' definitely helps you with this disease” P6 (male, 29 years)
Healthy lifestyle	“One positive influence was that I changed my diet completely” P6 (male, 29 years)
Upward spiral	“My family has noticed positively that it no longer rains scales everywhere. […] my colleagues have noticed it too, of course. […] that puts you in a positive mood, and if you are in a positive mood, that certainly has an effect on the effectiveness” P7 (female, 54 years)
Positive treatment setting	“In general that you received […] good treatment, that you felt comfortable […] I had the feeling that I was in good hands, especially after the bad experiences I had had with other doctors” P14 (male, 32 years)
Social support	“By ‘we’ I always refer to my wife, because she helps me with my back, which is looking bad again […], she treats it almost […] every second day” P9 (male, 63 years)
Environmental factors	“It [symptoms] grew more every year, after every winter” P23 (male, 50 years)