Factors affecting dermatology-specific quality of life and perceived stigma among patients with chronic skin conditions

Background: Chronic skin diseases affect physical health and interfere with the quality of life and make patients susceptible to stigmatization. This study aimed to assess dermatology-specific quality of life and perceived stigma among patients with chronic skin diseases and to estimate their correlation. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional, and hospital-based study included 250 adult patients with chronic skin diseases (duration ≥6 months). Data were collected on sociodemographic variables, disease and treatment, and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Perceived stigma was assessed using the 6-item Stigmatization Scale through respondent interviews. Results: Participants’ mean age was 38.0 (±12) years and 132 (52.8%) respondents were female. Thirty types of diagnoses were noted, with tinea corporis being most common. Of the respondents, 30% reported a large effect on their quality of life, 35.6% reported a moderate effect, and 34.4% reported a small or no effect. Patients experienced maximum stigmatization because of a feeling of not being attractive. Patients with genital lesions reported maximum perceived stigma. Spearman’s correlation coefficient ( r ) between the DLQI and 6-item Stigmatization Scale scores was 0.534 ( P < 0.001), indicating moderate correlation. Besides sociodemographic variables, respondents with involvement of multiple sites, disease duration of 2–4 years, and higher stigmatization had poorer quality of life. Conclusion: We identified various factors adversely affecting the quality of life in patients with chronic skin diseases and also detected an association of higher stigmatization with poorer quality of life. Dermatologists should suggest counseling support for patients with involvement of multiple sites, genital lesions, and long disease duration.