Supercluster | Cluster | Subcluster | Representative statement | Cluster mean | Subcluster mean |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Having PsO | Social and mental problems, shame | Self-worth disappears | Felt like a leper | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Discomfort, pain, symptoms | I think it has been a serious handicap | It’s really awful for us | 3.7 | 3.7 | |
Treatment | At the doctor’s/the doctor knows my body | It’s a matter of being taken seriously as a complete person | It’s difficult to relate to the figures quoted by the doctor | 3.7 | 4.0 |
Long waiting time for treatment | At first I was sent from pillar to post – they had no idea what was wrong with me | 3.7 | 3.9 | ||
How do I know I’m getting the best treatment? | I feel that the doctors are experimenting on me | 3.7 | 3.9 | ||
I don’t have any information - I’m worried | I’ve read that inadequate treatment can result in complications | 3.7 | 3.5 | ||
Medication and treatment | Biological therapy is miraculous! | All my symptoms disappeared in 14 days (using biological drugs) | 3.5 | 4.9 | |
What happens if the medication stops working - or if I’m not given it anymore? | Will my symptoms come back? (major concern) | 3.5 | 4.7 | ||
I’m a bit cautious about what I put in my body (medicines) | I don’t want to take MTX due to the side effects - the package insert didn’t say what was good about MTX | 3.5 | 3.9 | ||
I have to take medication for the rest of my life | This isn’t the end (if this treatment doesn’t work, then it’s on to the next one) | 3.5 | 3.2 | ||
I’m getting good treatment | I think the hospital I attend is fantastic | 3.5 | 3.2 | ||
Side effects | My skin has got thinner because they’ve rubbed all kinds of creams into it | 3.5 | 3.0 | ||
Surroundings | Relationships with partner/others | I feel very alone with my condition | I don’t understand why there aren’t network groups (the PsO association) | 3.2 | 3.9 |
Intimacy - what does my partner think? | What does my partner think about how I look? (‘my backside could give a baboon some competition’) | 3.2 | 3.4 | ||
What do other people think - do they find it repulsive? | I’ve met people who didn’t want to shake hands with me | 3.2 | 3.0 | ||
No understanding of the restrictions caused by my condition (I can’t have a dram) | A lot of people have useful advice for me – knowing better than I do | 3.2 | 2.6 | ||
Own attitude/personal view | My condition controlled my life until I learned to accept it | You have to make sure that it doesn’t take over | 3.2 | 3.8 | |
Will my children also get it?/I don’t want to have children! | I decided early on that I did not want to bring children into the world – this was not going to happen to them | 3.2 | 3.3 | ||
I’ve decided that what other people think isn’t my problem | Getting to the point where you’re not afraid to be seen in public is a victory | 3.2 | 3.2 | ||
You learn to live with it | The condition is incurable | 3.2 | 2.9 | ||
Consequences of the condition/The condition itself | Consequences for working life | My condition rules me out for some jobs | 3.2 | 3.7 | |
The importance of lifestyle | Stress can provoke the symptoms | 3.2 | 3.1 | ||
I’m restricted by symptoms and treatment | When planning a holiday, you have to allow for when medication has to be taken etc. | 3.2 | 2.9 |