Chronic Skin Disease, Media Use and Health Values in the Quality of Life of Adolescents.
Chronic dermatological diseases that appear in adolescence, such as acne vulgaris, atopic dermatitis, alopecia areata and psoriasis vulgaris, not only cause physical symptoms but also significantly affect young people's quality of life, mental state, self-esteem and social relationships. Social media, especially information spread by influencers, significantly influences adolescents' body image, health-related attitudes and even the quality of the physician-patient relationship. The aim of our study was to explore the relationships between dermatology-related quality of life, media use, health values, body image and self-esteem among adolescents with chronic dermatological diseases.
In our cross-sectional, quantitative study, we used validated questionnaires (DLQI, EQ-5D-5L, IRVS, Attitude Scale, STAI-Y2, SWLS-H, Rosenberg Scale, BAT), which we supplemented with a media consumption questionnaire of our own design. Structured data collection took place between October 2024 and March 2025, with the participation of 208 adolescents aged 11-18. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0 (Spearman's correlation, Mann-Whitney test). Differences were considered significant at p < 0.05. Ethical approval: BM/22429-1/2024.
Acne vulgaris was the most common diagnosis (65%), followed by atopic dermatitis (22%) and psoriasis (11%). Over a quarter of the adolescents (27%) followed influencers who provided skincare advice. The mean daily screen time was 4.5 h, with 3.7 h on smartphones. A longer screen time was significantly correlated with poorer dermatological quality of life. Greater dermatology-related quality of life impairment (higher DLQI scores) was associated with poorer general quality of life (EQ-5D-5L). Following skincare-related influencers was significantly associated with dermatology-related quality of life and anxiety. Conversely, stronger health values were significantly linked to more favourable health behaviors.
In this sample, greater dermatology-related quality-of-life impairment was associated with poorer psychosocial outcomes. Longer screen time was associated with poorer dermatology-related quality of life and less favourable psychosocial outcomes. The novelty of our study lies in the use of a self-developed media consumption questionnaire, which is suitable for the complex mapping of psychological and quality-of-life factors in adolescents.
In our cross-sectional, quantitative study, we used validated questionnaires (DLQI, EQ-5D-5L, IRVS, Attitude Scale, STAI-Y2, SWLS-H, Rosenberg Scale, BAT), which we supplemented with a media consumption questionnaire of our own design. Structured data collection took place between October 2024 and March 2025, with the participation of 208 adolescents aged 11-18. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0 (Spearman's correlation, Mann-Whitney test). Differences were considered significant at p < 0.05. Ethical approval: BM/22429-1/2024.
Acne vulgaris was the most common diagnosis (65%), followed by atopic dermatitis (22%) and psoriasis (11%). Over a quarter of the adolescents (27%) followed influencers who provided skincare advice. The mean daily screen time was 4.5 h, with 3.7 h on smartphones. A longer screen time was significantly correlated with poorer dermatological quality of life. Greater dermatology-related quality of life impairment (higher DLQI scores) was associated with poorer general quality of life (EQ-5D-5L). Following skincare-related influencers was significantly associated with dermatology-related quality of life and anxiety. Conversely, stronger health values were significantly linked to more favourable health behaviors.
In this sample, greater dermatology-related quality-of-life impairment was associated with poorer psychosocial outcomes. Longer screen time was associated with poorer dermatology-related quality of life and less favourable psychosocial outcomes. The novelty of our study lies in the use of a self-developed media consumption questionnaire, which is suitable for the complex mapping of psychological and quality-of-life factors in adolescents.