Mental Health Problems and Psychological Well-being of Patients with Eczema in Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62843/jssr.v5i1.496Keywords:
Anxiety, Depression, Eczema, Mental Health, PakistanAbstract
There is substantial literature on the association between mental health problems and eczema globally, particularly in Western countries; however, limited research has been conducted in Pakistan. Therefore, this study investigates the relationship between mental health problems (operationalized as anxiety and depression) and psychological well-being among Pakistani adults diagnosed with eczema, aged 18 and over. The study employs a cross-sectional correlational research design and a purposive sampling technique. The assessment tools include the shorter versions of the DASS-21 questionnaire (depression and anxiety subscales to measure depression and anxiety among patients with eczema) and an 18-item psychological well-being questionnaire. Results indicate a positive and significant association between depression and anxiety, while these variables show a negative but non-significant correlation with psychological well-being. Additionally, depression and anxiety negatively (but not significantly) predict psychological well-being. The study highlights key implications for Pakistani adults, such as the role of mental health professionals in raising awareness through seminars, webinars, and workshops. It also emphasizes promoting psychological help-seeking behavior, government initiatives to increase awareness, and the need for psychological intervention services in affected communities, especially in areas lacking resources. Steps must be taken to improve societal welfare by providing adequate mental health facilities.
References
Adesanya, E. I., Matthewman, J., Schonmann, Y., Hayes, J. F., Henderson, A., Mathur, R., ... & Mansfield, K. E. (2023). Factors associated with depression, anxiety and severe mental illness among adults with atopic eczema or psoriasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Dermatology, 188(4), 460-470. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjd/ljac132
Afzal, Z., & Rafique, R. (2023). Psychological Comorbidities in People Living with Eczema: A Mini Review. Journal of the Dow University of Health Sciences (JDUHS), 17(2). https://doi.org/10.36570/jduhs.2023.2.1152
Ahmed, A. (2024). Could psychodermatology be the cure for your skin concerns? The Daily Telegraph.
Andersen, Y. M. F., Egeberg, A., Skov, L., & Thyssen, J. P. (2017). Erratum to: Comorbidities of atopic dermatitis: Beyond rhinitis and asthma. Current Dermatology Reports, 6(3), 241. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13671-017-0196-3
Bershad, S. V. (2011). Atopic dermatitis (eczema). Annals of internal medicine, 155(9), ITC5-1. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-155-9-201111010-01005
Boehm, D., Schmid‐Ott, G., Finkeldey, F., John, S. M., Dwinger, C., Werfel, T., ... & Breuer, K. (2012). Anxiety, depression and impaired health‐related quality of life in patients with occupational hand eczema. Contact dermatitis, 67(4), 184-192. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0536.2012.02062.x
Dalgard, F. J., Gieler, U., Tomas-Aragones, L., Lien, L., Poot, F., Jemec, G. B. E., ... & Szabo, C. (2015). The psychological burden of skin diseases: A cross-sectional multicenter study among dermatological out-patients in 13 European countries. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 135(4), 984-991. https://doi.org/10.1038/jid.2014.530
Dennis, H., Rostill, H., Reed, J., & Gill, S. (2006). Factors promoting psychological adjustment to childhood atopic eczema. Journal of Child Health Care, 10(2), 126-139. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367493506062552
Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Tay, L. (2017). Advances in subjective well-being research. Nature Human Behaviour, 1(5), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-017-0082
Dieris-Hirche, J., Gieler, U., Petrak, F., Milch, W., Wildt, B., Dieris, B., & Herpertz, S. (2017). Suicidal ideation in adult patients with atopic dermatitis: A German cross-sectional study. Acta Dermato Venereologica, 97(10), 1189-1195. https://doi.org/10.2340/00015555-2741
Drucker, A. M., Wang, A. R., Li, W., Sevetson, E., Block, J. K., & Qureshi, A. A. (2017). The burden of atopic dermatitis: Summary of a report for the national eczema association. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 137(1), 26-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jid.2016.07.012
Henderson, A. D., Adesanya, E., Mulick, A., Matthewman, J., Vu, N., Davies, F., Smith, C. H., Hayes, J., Mansfield, K. E., & Langan, S. M. (2023). Common mental health disorders in adults with inflammatory skin conditions: nationwide population-based matched cohort studies in the UK. BMC Medicine, 21(1), 285. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-023-02948-x
Hon, K. L., Pong, N. H., Poon, T. C., Chan, D. F., Leung, T. F., Lai, K. Y & Luk, N. M. (2015). Quality of life and psychosocial issues are important outcome measures in eczema treatment. Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 26(1), 83-89. https://doi.org/10.3109/09546634.2013.873762
Kantor, R., & Silverberg, J. I. (2017). Environmental risk factors and their role in the management of atopic dermatitis. Expert Review of Clinical Immunology, 13(1), 15-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/1744666X.2016.1212660
Keyes, C. L. M. (2002). The mental health continuum: From languishing to flourishing in life. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43(2), 207-222. https://doi.org/10.2307/3090197
Keyes, C. L. M. (2005). Mental illness and/or mental health? Investigating axioms of the complete state model of health. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(3), 539–548. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.73.3.539
Kim, D. H., Li, K., Seo, S. J., & Jo, S. J. (2020). The impact of atopic dermatitis on psychological well-being and quality of life: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology, 16, 60. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13223-020-00462-6.
Kim, J. P., Chao, L. X., Simpson, E. L., & Silverberg, J. I. (2018). Persistence of atopic dermatitis and filaggrin gene mutation in a US longitudinal cohort. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 142(3), 855-858. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clindermatol.2018.05.007
Koskelo, M., Sinikumpu, S.-P., Jokelainen, J., & Huilaja, L. (2023). Anxiety and depression in patients with hand eczema: A population-based study among 853 middle-aged subjects. Contact Dermatitis, 89(6), 464–470. https://doi.org/10.1111/cod.14412
Lai, Y. C., Yew, Y. W., & Schwartz, R. A. (2023). Interventions for anxiety and depression in patients with atopic dermatitis: A systematic review. Scientific Reports, 13, 12345.
Langan, S. M., Irvine, A. D., & Weidinger, S. (2020). Atopic dermatitis. The Lancet, 396(10247), 345-360. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(20)31286-1
Li, C. Y., Chen, M. L., & Hsu, C. J. (2019). Association of atopic dermatitis with mental health disorders in children and adolescents in Taiwan: A nationwide population-based study. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 7, 1-7.
Nutten, S. (2015). Atopic dermatitis: Global epidemiology and risk factors. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 66(Suppl 1), 8-16. https://doi.org/10.1159/000370220
Peate, I. (2011). Eczema: causes, symptoms and treatment in the community. British Journal of Community Nursing, 16(7), 324, 326–331. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2011.16.7.324
Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069–1081. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.57.6.1069
Sandhu, J. K., Wu, K. K., Bui, T.-L., & Armstrong, A. W. (2019). Association between atopic dermatitis and suicidality: A systematic review and meta-analysis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Dermatology (Chicago, Ill.), 155(2), 178–187. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.2018.4566
Schmitt, J., Apfelbacher, C. J., & Flohr, C. (2011). Eczema. BMJ clinical evidence, 2011, 1716.
Schonmann, Y., Mansfield, K. E., Hayes, J. F., Abuabara, K., Roberts, A., Smeeth, L., & Langan, S. M. (2020). Atopic eczema in adulthood and risk of depression and anxiety: A population-based cohort study. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, 8(1), 248-257.e16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaip.2019.08.030
Shipowick, T., Austin, J., Sudiacal, N., Miller, S., Pereira, J. A., & Bundy, C. (2025). Mental health and well‐being support for individuals living with skin conditions: A global landscape analysis of patient needs and current resources. JEADV Clinical Practice. https://doi.org/10.1002/jvc2.606
Siewertsen, M., Näslund-Koch, C., Duus Johansen, J., Simonsen, A. B., Nguyen, T. T., Zachariae, C., Skov, L., & Loft, N. (2024). Psychological burden, anxiety, depression and quality of life in patients with hand eczema: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology: JEADV, 38(11), 2110–2117. https://doi.org/10.1111/jdv.20140
Silverberg, J. I., Lei, D., Yousaf, M., Janmohamed, S. R., Vakharia, P. P., Chopra, R., Chavda, R., Gabriel, S., Patel, K. R., Singam, V., Kantor, R., Hsu, D. Y., & Cella, D. (2020). Association of atopic dermatitis severity with cognitive function in adults. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 83(5), 1349–1359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2020.05.041
Singleton, H., Hodder, A., Almilaji, O., Ersser, S. J., Heaslip, V., O’Meara, S., Boyers, D., Roberts, A., Scott, H., Van Onselen, J., Doney, L., Boyle, R. J., & Thompson, A. R. (2024). Educational and psychological interventions for managing atopic dermatitis (eczema). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 8(8), CD014932. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD014932.pub2
Treudler, R., Zeynalova, S., Riedel-Heller, S. G., Zuelke, A. E., Roehr, S., Hinz, A., Glaesmer, H., Kage, P., Loeffler, M., & Simon, J. C. (2020). Depression, anxiety and quality of life in subjects with atopic eczema in a population-based cross-sectional study in Germany. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology: JEADV, 34(4), 810–816. https://doi.org/10.1111/jdv.16148
World Health Organization (WHO). (2022). World mental health report: Transforming mental health for all. WHO.
Yosipovitch, G., Canchy, L., Ferreira, B. R., Aguirre, C. C., Tempark, T., Takaoka, R., Steinhoff, M., & Misery, L. (2024). Integrative treatment approaches with mind-body therapies in the management of atopic dermatitis. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 13(18), 5368. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13185368
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Copyright in the Journal of Social Sciences Review is retained by the author(s). Authors also grant any third party the right to use the article freely as long as its integrity is maintained and its original authors, citation details and publisher are identified.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
SSR's Editorial Board shares the vision of providing free access to information, education, and science for everyone, thus promoting its content through an OPEN ACCESS POLICY, fulfilling the DOAJ definition of open access. The JSSR adheres to an Open Access and Copyright Licensing Policy based on the belief that making research freely accessible to the public promotes greater global knowledge sharing.
The JSSR uses the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. The authors who apply and publish in JSSR consent to abide by the copyright policy set out in the Creative Commons 4.0 license (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license).
- Copyright in the Journal of Social Sciences Review is retained by the author(s).
- Authors also grant any third party the right to use the article freely as long as its integrity is maintained and its original authors, citation details and publisher are identified.
While "By 'open access' to this literature, we mean its free availability on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself."
