- Responses and scores for the Arabic version of topical corticosteroid phobia (TOPICOP©) scale items.
| Domains | Totally disagree | Not really agree | Almost agree | Totally agree | I do not understand the statement | Domain subscores (mean±SD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge and beliefs | ||||||
| Q1: TCS can be absorbed into the bloodstream | 4 (2.8) | 53 (36.6) | 51 (35.2) | 17 (11.7) | 20 (13.8) | 49.4±17.5 |
| Q2: TCS can lead to infections | 25 (17.2) | 72 (49.7) | 38 (26.2) | 7 (4.8) | 3 (2.1) | |
| Q3: TCS can make you fat | 24 (16.6) | 43 (29.7) | 39 (26.9) | 37 (25.5) | 2 (1.4) | |
| Q4: TCS damage your skin | 8 (5.5) | 41 (28.3) | 60 (41.4) | 32 (22.1) | 4 (2.8) | |
| Q5: TCS will affect your future health negatively | 10 (6.9) | 43 (29.7) | 58 (40.0) | 31 (21.4) | 3 (2.1) | |
| Q6: Using TCS can lead to asthma | 35 (24.1) | 89 (61.4) | 14 (9.7) | 4 (2.8) | 3 (2.1) | |
| Fears | ||||||
| Q7: I’m afraid of putting TCS on certain skin areas such as eyelids† | 15 (10.3) | 20 (13.8) | 49 (33.8) | 58 (40.0) | 3 (2.1) | 63.4±22.1 |
| Q8: I do not know of any side effects, but I am still afraid of using TCS | 27 (18.6) | 17 (11.7) | 65 (44.8) | 33 (22.8) | 3 (2.1) | |
| Q9: I’m afraid of applying too much TCS† | 14 (9.7) | 33 (22.8) | 48 (33.1) | 50 (34.5) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Behaviors | ||||||
| Q10: I wait as long as I can before treating myself or my child with TCS† | 27 (18.6) | 45 (31.0) | 35 (24.1) | 33 (22.8) | 5 (3.4) | 62.6±25.9 |
| Q11: I stop TCS treatment as soon as I can† | 18 (12.4) | 32 (22.1) | 44 (30.3) | 45 (31.0) | 6 (4.1) | |
| Q12: I need reassurance on TCS† | 12 (8.3) | 24 (16.6) | 23 (15.9) | 84 (57.9) | 2 (1.4) | |
| Global TOPICOP score, mean±SD | ||||||
| All participants | 56.4±16.5 | |||||
| Parents of pediatric patients | 59.1±16.1 | |||||
| Adult patients | 50.4±16.1 | |||||
| Participants who declared not to have TCS phobia | 46.0±14.6 | |||||
Values are presented as numbers and percentages (%).
TCS: topical corticosteroids, SD: standard deviation
↵† Options include never, sometimes, often, and always.