Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Jun 19, 2025; 15(6): 104738
Published online Jun 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i6.104738
Risk factors for anxiety and depression in patients with atopic dermatitis and their impact on prognosis
Kun Liu, Wei Gao, Hong-Guang Lu, Zhao-Gui Chen
Kun Liu, Wei Gao, Department of Dermatology, Shanghai Jinshan Tinglin Hospital, Shanghai 200444, China
Hong-Guang Lu, Department of Dermatology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550000, Guizhou Province, China
Zhao-Gui Chen, Department of Psychiatry, The Fourth People’s Hospital of Yulin, Yulin 537000, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Author contributions: Liu K designed the study; Gao W and Lu HG analyzed the data; Liu K was involved in the data collection and writing of this article; All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Shanghai Jinshan Tinglin Hospital (No. SHRJ24141110).
Informed consent statement: All study participants and their legal guardians provided written informed consent before enrolment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Kun Liu, PhD, Doctor, Department of Dermatology, Shanghai Jinshan Tinglin Hospital, No. Siping North Road, Tinglin Town,Jinshan District Shanghai 201505, China. lkk13661609261@126.com
Received: March 19, 2025
Revised: April 14, 2025
Accepted: May 7, 2025
Published online: June 19, 2025
Processing time: 71 Days and 1.1 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by visible lesions that can lead to anxiety and depression. These psychological impacts may severely affect the physical and mental health and the overall quality of life of the affected individuals.

AIM

To identify the risk factors for anxiety and depression among patients with AD and to assess their influence on prognosis.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 273 patients with AD who visited Shanghai Jinshan Tinglin Hospital between July 2021 and June 2023. Data were collected using standardized instruments, including the general information questionnaire, hospital anxiety and depression scale, scoring AD index, and dermatology life quality index.

RESULTS

Among the evaluated patients, 24.5% had symptoms of anxiety, and 19.8% had symptoms of depression. Independent risk factors for anxiety included lower education level [odds ratio (OR) = 0.338, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.183-0.625], increased number of medical visits (OR = 2.300, 95%CI: 1.234-4.255), sleep disorders (OR = 2.013, 95%CI: 1.032-3.923), and allergic rhinitis (OR = 2.052, 95%CI: 1.097-3.839). Factors for depression included more severe pruritus (OR = 6.837, 95%CI: 1.330-35.132), higher number of medical visits (OR = 2.979, 95%CI: 1.430-6.205), sleep disorders (OR = 2.245, 95%CI: 1.033-5.024), and asthma (OR = 2.208, 95%CI: 1.003-4.859). Dermatology life quality index scores correlated positively with anxiety, depression, scoring AD index, sleep disorders, number of visits, and intensity of pruritus (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

In patients with AD, anxiety and depression are associated with educational level, frequency of medical visits, sleep disorders, allergic rhinitis, pruritus, and asthma, all of which exacerbate symptoms and reduce quality of life.

Keywords: Atopic dermatitis; Anxiety; Depression; Pruritus; Sleep disorder; Quality of life

Core Tip: Atopic dermatitis (AD) exhibits a substantial comorbidity with anxiety and depression, with epidemiological studies highlighting their synergistic adverse effects on psychological well-being and quality of life of patients. We identified that the risk factors for anxiety and depression in patients with AD included educational level, frequency of medical visits, severity of pruritus, sleep disorders, allergic rhinitis, and asthma. Early recognition of these factors can enable targeted mental health prevention strategies and interventions that may benefit patients with AD by addressing modifiable risk factors.