Quality of life, problem solving, focus of control and anger tendency in the patients with acne

Background and Design: In this study, we evaluated anxiety and depression levels, levels of problem solving, focus of control, tendency to anger and quality of life in patients with acne as well as the association between those parameters and the clinical features of acne. Materials and Methods: Fifty-two patients with mild to severe acne vulgaris and 46 healthy controls were enrolled. Acne severity was graded in all patients by a dermatologist. The Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), Problem Solving Inventory (PSI), The State-Trait Anger Scale (STAS), Rotter's Internal-External Focus of Control Scale (RIELCS) and the Short Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36) were applied to all participants. Results: In our study, we found out that anxiety and depression scores were significantly higher in patients with acne vulgaris than in controls. In BSI, anxiety disorders, depression, interpersonal sensitivity, and paranoid thoughts scores were significantly higher in patients with acne than in controls. According to SF-36, physical role difficulty, general health and mental health scores were significantly lower in patients with acne. Conclusion: The results of our study support the previous findings suggesting that acne vulgaris leads to various psychiatric problems, such as depression and anxiety and, adversely affects quality of life of patients.