The Psychological impact of acne in young adults: A cross-sectional observational study

Abstract

Background: The dermatoses considered to be the most common among young adults is acne, which is proven to have a significant impact on self-esteem and Quality of Life (QoL). However, the impact of acne on psychosocial aspects is not fully assessed and often goes unrecognized in the form of invisible scars. Aim: The present study aims at estimating the severity of acne and its impact on concerns regarding appearance, self-esteem, and quality of life in young adults. Material and Method: A hospital based cross-sectional observational study was conducted from 1st January 2023 to 31st March 2023 on a total of 110 samples of young adults aged between 18-25 years selected using convenient sampling from outpatient departments of Dermatology, General Medicine, and Psychiatry in PMCH, Udaipur. The severity of acne, concerns regarding appearance, self-esteem, and QoL were assessed using standardized tools such as the Global Acne Grading System (GAGS), Derriford Appearance Scale (DAS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI) respectively. The collected data were then analyzed using SPSS version 29. Results: A significantly positive association was observed between scores obtained on the GAGS scale with scores obtained on DAS (r=0.355**, p <0.001), and CADI (r=0.528**, p <0.001) and a significant negative association was obtained between scores of GAGS, and RSES (r=-0.931**, p<0.001). Conclusion: The results revealed increased concerns regarding appearance, low self-esteem, and poor quality of life in young adults with increasing severity of acne drawing attention of health care professionals towards unidentified psychological aspects of acne.

Keywords: Acne, Young adults, Body image disturbance, Disability, Self-esteem