Abstract
Background: Emotional well-being, self-esteem, social interactions, and quality of life are all impacted by chronic skin conditions. This study aimed
to determine the psychological health of affected individuals and identify factors associated with moderate-to-severe psychological distress.
Methods: This study included 180 consecutively recruited adults with chronic dermatological conditions at a tertiary care teaching hospital. The
disease characteristics, duration, frequency of flares, visibility of the lesions, dermatology activity, psychological health, social functioning, coping
strategies, and dermatology-related quality of life were evaluated by interview, validated questionnaires, clinical examination, and medical-record
review. The data were analysed using SPSS version 26.0. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the characteristics of the participants, and
Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were used to assess the association. Moderate to severe psychological distress was predicted by independent
variables using multivariable logistic regression, with a P-value 5 years (AOR=2.39), female gender (AOR=1.94), and visible skin lesions (AOR= 3.44) were the strongest independent predictors of
distress. Conclusion: Psychological and social impairments were significant with chronic skin diseases. Psychological assessment, counselling, and
referral should be a part of dermatology care. Future multicenter longitudinal studies should assess integrated long-term dermatological and
psychological management.