ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Psychiatry
• Medical Education

Background:

• Biological evidence links psychological stress (PS) to adverse skin health outcomes.
• Limited descriptive studies exist on PS and skin health among medical students.
• This study investigates skin complaints and their correlation with PS in Jordanian medical students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of skin complaints among medical students in Jordan.
• To examine the association between psychological stress and dermatological issues.
• To assess the impact of skin complaints on quality of life.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 481 medical students in Jordan.
• Utilized validated questionnaires: Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7).
• Data analyzed using IBM SPSS; ethical approval obtained from Jordan University Hospital IRB.

Main Results:

• 75.1% of participants were female; 62% were in years 4-6 of medical school.
• Hair loss (64.21%) and pimples (60.09%) were most common, significantly associated with higher PS (p < 0.001).
• Dermatological symptoms correlated with reduced quality of life and increased anxiety/depression scores (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• High prevalence of dermatological symptoms reported among medical students.
• Significant association found between skin complaints and psychological distress.
• Integrated approaches addressing psychological well-being and dermatological health are recommended for medical students.