Psychopathological symptoms and their association with the quality of life and the sexual functioning in women affected by systemic scleroderma: a preliminary investigation

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the presence of psychopathological symptoms and the relations of these dimensions with the quality of life and sexual function in a group of women affected by systemic scleroderma. Subjects and methods: Seventy-one women with systemic scleroderma were invited to participate in the study; 65 agreed to participate, while 6 declined. Four questionnaires were administered to the patients: a specific socio-demographic questionnaire, the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), and the Quality-of-Life Questionnaire of the European Foundation for Osteoporosis (QUALEFFO-41). Results: Of all the participants in this study, 48% of patients showed a clinical score on SCL-90-R Somatization, 45% on depression, and 37% on obsessive-compulsive. As hypothesized, psychopathological symptoms were related to lower quality of life since somatization and depression predicted the total score of health-related quality of life and lower sexual functions, showing a specific effect of depression on sexuality. Conclusions: Our findings highlighted the presence of an association between psychopathological symptoms and reduced sexual functioning and the associations between somatization and the health-related quality of life dimensions in scleroderma patients. Furthermore, our results sustain the importance of also considering the mental health of patients with systemic sclerosis, within an integrated biopsychosocial care model.