Perceived Stress, Stress Coping Strategies, and Body Image Among Facial Dermatosis

Considering its visible nature, facial dermatosis may result in more prominent psychosocial effects.

We aimed to compare quality of life, anxiety, depression, perceived stress, stress coping strategies, and body image in individuals with facial and trunk dermatosis.

A total of 120 patients (60 with facial dermatosis, 60 with trunk dermatosis) and 60 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Demographic and clinical features were recorded, and participants were evaluated with Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Stress Coping Attitudes Inventory (SCAI), and Body Image Scale (BIS).

In trunk dermatosis patient group, the DLQI, HADS, and PSS scores were significantly higher, while the BIS scores were significantly lower than in the facial dermatosis group and the controls. Avoidance subscores of the SCAI were significantly higher in the trunk dermatosis group compared to the facial dermatosis group. Acceptance/Cognitive Restructuring subscore of the SCAI was found to be higher in the facial dermatosis than the trunk dermatosis group (P=0.037). Linear regression analysis revealed that the most important determinant of DLQI was HADS-Anxiety score (β=0.271, P=0.023) and one of the most important determinant of the PSS score was HADS-Anxiety score (β= 0.426, P<0.001).

Patients with trunk dermatosis experienced more stress, anxiety, depression, and distortion of body perception, and the impact on quality of life was more pronounced. This situation was thought to be related to the fact that patients with facial dermatosis used positive coping strategies, while negative strategies were more common in patients with trunk dermatosis.