Abstract:

Objective To evaluate the psychological impact of acne on patients. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among 469 patients with acne and 175 healthy controls. Athens insomnia scale（AIS）, self-rating anxiety scale（SAS） and Hamilton depression scale（HAMD） were used to estimate the prevalence of insomnia, anxiety and depression respectively in these subjects. Rank sum test was performed to compare the differences in psychological status between the patients and controls. Results Increased AIS, SAS and HAMD scores were observed in the patients with acne compared with the healthy controls（Z = 4.014, 3.426, 8.664, respectively, all P ＜ 0.01）. The incidence of insomnia, anxiety and depression was 34.9%, 0.7% and 2.9% respectively in the patients with acne, with no significant differences between patients in different age groups （< 15 years, 15-25 years, > 25 years, all P > 0.05）. A significant increase was observed in AIS score in 296 female patients compared with 173 male patients（Z = 2.009, P < 0.05）, and in HAMD score in patients with severe acne compared with those with mild acne（Z = 3.739, P < 0.01）. There was no statistical difference in SAS or HAMD score between the male and female patients, or in AIS or SAS score between patients with severe and mild acne. Conclusions Acne could affect the sleep, anxiety and depression emotions in patients, and exert a negative psychological impact on patients, which seems more apparent in patients with severe acne and female patients.

Key words: Depression