Quality of life and self-concept in patients with ulcer disease Jako ycia i samoocena u pacjentów z chorob wrzodow

Introduction: Ulcer disease (UD) is believed to be the result of imbalance between the factors of mucosal protection and aggression. It has complex etiology with chronic course characterized by relapses. Aim of the study was to evaluate the quality of life of patients with UD. Moreover, self-concept of UD patients was measured, which is an important personality mechanism regulating human psychosocial functioning. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in 61 patients with UD and 102 healthy subjects. Clinical data were obtained from medical records. Quality of life was measured using the Quality of Life Questionnaire developed by Schalock and Keith and adapted by Juros. The self-concept was measured using a self-report questionnaire – the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS) developed by Fitts. Results: The findings indicate that the quality of life of UD patients analyzed in social context is significantly lower than that of healthy subjects in two domains: empowerment/independence and community integration. The patients differ in self-concept, although the differences are mainly related to formal aspects of self-evaluation. Conclusions: Generally, the results suggest that patients with UD show a stronger defensive attitude towards self-disclosure and self-description, which can also bias the correlations between self-concept and quality of life observed in the study.