Investigation of factors affecting the quality of life of adolescents with acne

This descriptive study was made to determine factors affecting the quality of life adolescents with acne between the ages of 11 and 20 applied to the dermatology outpatient clinic. 203 adolescents with acne between the ages of 11 and 20 who had applied to the Dermatology Outpatient Clinic of Merkezefendi State Hospital between October 1, 2011 and March 1, 2012 and volunteered to participate were included in the study. Data of the study was collected after obtaining the ethics committee's approval and the necessary permits. Tools used to to called data included the identification form for adolescents with acne, prepared by the researcher, the Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI), the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL-BREF). Data was analysed using the SPSS (Statistical Package of Social Sciences) 16.0 for Windows. Percentage, chi-square, t-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney test, correlation and ANOVA tests were used. According to the results obtained from the study, the mean age of the patients was 17.5 ± 25.2 and 67.0% were female. 62.1% of the adolescents were found as moderate (papules-pustules), 20.7% mild (comedones), and 17.2% severe (cystic nodules) in terms of clinical severity of acne. It was found out that 93.1% of the adolescents continued a medical treatment and 60.8% of those receiving a medical treatment received a topical treatment, while 24.3% of them received a retinoid therapy (isotretinoin). In addition, it was determined that 40.9% of the adolescents, participated in the study, believed that acne affected their work/school performance, while 59.1% of them believed otherwise. It was found out that 28.1% of the participants referred to their families, 25.1% to their friends, 93.6% to a doctor (dermatologist), 10.8% to the media, 1% to their schools and 11% to a pharmacists for obtaining information about acne. With the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), it was found that acne had no impact on lives of 53.2% of the surveyed adolescents, a little impact on lives of 30.5%, a moderate impact on lives of 12.3% and severe impact on lives of 3.9% The Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI) mean score was found as 4.3 ± 3.1, 4.0, the median score as 4.0 and the highest-lowest score as 13.0-0.0. In the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL-BREF); the mean score of physical space was found as 17.53 ± 2.19 (the median score as 18.28 and the highest-lowest score as 20.00-10.29), the mean score of psychological space as 7.14 ± 2.46 (the median score as 14.00 and the highest-lowest score as 20.00-5.33), the mean score of social environment as 14.93 ± 2.96 (the median score as 16.00 and the highest-lowest score as 20.00-6.00), the mean score of environmental space as 14.53±1.99 (the median score as 14.50 and the highest-lowest score as 18.50-7.00), respectively. A positive low-level correlation was observed between physical space and duration of disease in terms of quality of life dimensions (p˂0.05). A negative correlation was found between environmental space and percentage of body mass index. It was determined that there were differences between severity of acne and the 'symptoms and felt', a sub-scale of the dermatology quality of life index, and the total score of CADI in the surveyed adolescents with acne (p˂0.05). No significance was observed between severity of acne and quality of life dimensions in the surveyed adolescents with acne (p˃0.05). In line with the results obtained from this study, it is concluded that acne vulgaris may adversely affect psychosocial status, interpersonal relationships and daily activities of people with the effects it causes on physical appearance.