Psychopathological Burden in Allergic Contact Dermatitis: Results From a Case-Control Study Using the SCL-90-R

Allergic Contact Dermatitis (ACD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that may be accompanied by psychological distress. Previous studies have suggested an association between ACD and various psychopathological symptoms, which can negatively affect patients' well-being.

To evaluate the psychopathological symptom burden in patients with ACD using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) and to explore associations with clinical and sociodemographic variables.

This cross-sectional case-control study included 450 participants (225 patients with ACD and 225 controls). Group comparisons and association analyses were performed to examine differences between patients and controls and to explore relationships with clinical and sociodemographic characteristics.

Patients with ACD scored significantly higher than controls across all SCL-90-R dimensions. The highest proportions of patients scoring above the 70th percentile were observed for phobic anxiety (64.4%), somatization (42.2%) and anxiety (36.9%). Female sex, lower educational level and single marital status were independently associated with higher psychopathological scores. In addition, disease severity was associated with interpersonal sensitivity and psychoticism, while self-perceived disease severity was associated with somatization and anxiety.

Patients with ACD exhibit a significantly higher burden of psychopathological symptoms compared with controls. This finding highlights the relevance of psychological distress as a common feature of ACD and supports the inclusion of mental health considerations in the clinical assessment of these patients.