Table 2.

Illustrative Quotes of the Effects of Psoriasis on the Emotions of Family Members of Patients With Psoriasis ^a .

Emotional Reaction	Quote
Disgust	“It’s definitely a self-esteem issue. […] I’ve been single for 10 years now. I was married for 11 years, and when it kicked in, it really grossed out my ex-wife. I mean, she thought I was cheating on her and that it was like an STD or something, right? And there was a real trust issue there, and […] I mean, I’m annihilated. I was married. So, yeah, I think it definitely affected my marriage. I mean, I’m divorced now [laughs]. And then, it probably dinged up my self-esteem, just by the way I look, by the way it grossed her out, and then having intimacy issues with ladies. […] I don’t want to gross people out, you know?” FG2 P3
Embarrassment/shame	“I’ve noticed sometimes the girls [their daughters] would be embarrassed to be around when he was using shorts because his plaques looked so bad.” FG4 FM1
Frustration	“We started with primary care doctor, and then we have seen the dermatology clinic in the university, and we have to go back through several appointments in the dermatology clinic and in the hospital before they even consider bringing in a doctor who deals with nothing but psoriasis in all its forms. And as soon as this doctor saw her, it turned to, ‘This is psoriasis. I have seen it look exactly like this before. I can help you.’ […] Before it was, you know, we will go in and they want us to put ointment and a band-aid, you know, giving some kind of cream for allergies. You know. None of these is working for us. […] This is not an allergy. It’s not something that she is doing to herself. These are not just scrapes and bruises. […] It was so many months before we got that specialist and got an answer. Before that, it just felt that we were just brushed off, and that is probably the worst feeling you can have when you are looking for help from doctors. Even if they do not have any answer: ‘We do not know, but we are going to help you find it.’—that would be so much better than, ‘See you. There is nothing we can help you with.’” FG4 FM1
Irritation	“It was not a big problem with her [his wife]. […] it was just a pain […] it flakes off, so she always got annoyed with that I suppose, knowing that I can’t help it.” IT4 P
Resignation	“him flaring up again reminds me how it was at the beginning, and so now, it has been pretty different. And I think there is that sort of constant awareness of his flaking around, like balance of me thinking about, ‘Ok, I have to clean the house but not do it so much that he thinks I am paranoid about it.’” IT5 FM
Sadness	“Seeing him in pain—that is what bothers me the most.” FG4 FM1
Sympathy	“My son knows where the [petroleum jelly] is, and he will go get it and come up behind me and start rubbing it on my back. He’ll say, ‘You have ‘owies’ on your back again,’ and he just notices and knows to start rubbing them down. It’s affected him that way; like, he knows more than a five-year-old should about how his mom is feeling.” FG3 P6

Abbreviations: FG, focus group; IT, interview; FM, family member; P, participant with psoriasis.

^aStudy nomenclature: Interview type, person speaking.