Type D personality, anxiety sensitivity, social anxiety, and disability in patients with acne: a cross-sectional controlled study

Abstract

Introduction: Acne has long been associated with many psychiatric comorbidities. Aim: To determine anxiety and depression levels, social phobia frequency, social anxiety level, subjective stress perception, anxiety sensitivity, disability, and the frequency of type D personality in patients with acne. Material and methods: In total, 61 patients with acne aged > 16 years and 61 age, gender, and educationally matched healthy volunteers were included in the study. The patients and healthy controls were evaluated using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 criteria for social anxiety disorder and completed the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Sheehan Disability Scale, Anxiety Sensitivity Index, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Type D Scale-14. Results: Depression, anxiety, social anxiety, self-reported stress, anxiety sensitivity, and disability levels were significantly higher in patients with acne than in healthy controls (p < 0.05). Type D personality was more prevalent in patients with acne than in healthy controls (49% vs. 18%, p < 0.001). Conclusions: To our knowledge, this study is the first reported in which type D personality and anxiety sensitivity, as well as social anxiety disorder according to the DSM-5 criteria, was evaluated in patients with acne compared with healthy controls. This study shows that patients with acne have higher levels of depression, anxiety, social anxiety, self-reported stress, anxiety sensitivity, and disability, and a greater prevalence of type D personality, than healthy controls. Psychiatric evaluation of patients with acne may aid the detection of mental disorders.