Association of Psychological Stress and Sleep Quality with Acne Vulgaris: An Observational Study

Arzoo Mishra, Amit Kumar, Mohd Afzal, Rashmi Yadav
Author(s)
1Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, Dr Sonelal Patel Autonomous State Medical College, Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. 2Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Dr Sonelal Patel Autonomous State Medical College, Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. 3Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Madhav Prasad Tripathi Medical College, Siddharthnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India. 4Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Dr Sonelal Patel Autonomous State Medical College, Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Background: Acne vulgaris is a well-known chronic inflammatory skin disease that is associated with a variety of biological and psychosocial factors. It has been proposed that psychological stress and poor sleep quality trigger acne via neuroendocrine and inflammatory pathways. Material and Methods: We hypothesized that psychological stress was associated with sleep quality and acne vulgaris severity. The study was done on 100 patients aged between 15-35 years presenting with clinically diagnosed acne vulgaris in the Dermatology OPD of a tertiary care hospital, in the cross sectional observational study design. The severity of acne was evaluated by Global Acne Grading System (GAGS). The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) was used to assess psychological stress and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess sleep quality. The analysis of data was done in SPSS version 25.0 and the association was assessed by Chi-square test with p< 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Most of the participants (42%) were in the age range of 21- 25 years with 54% being female. Moderate acne was the most common severity (40%). Moderate stress levels were observed in 52% of participants, while 24% had high stress. Poor sleep quality was present in 60% of subjects. A statistically significant association was found between higher psychological stress and increased acne severity, as well as between poor sleep quality and more severe acne (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Psychological stress and poor sleep quality are significantly associated with increased severity of acne vulgaris. Addressing these modifiable lifestyle and psychosocial factors through stress management and improved sleep hygiene may help improve acne outcomes and overall patient well-being.

Keywords: Acne vulgaris; Psychological stress; Sleep quality; Perceived Stress Scale (PSS); Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); Global Acne Grading System (GAGS).

Outline