IMPACT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS ON SKIN HEALTH IN MEDICAL STUDENT POPULATION

Background: Stress has long been recognized as an important factor influencing the development and worsening of skin diseases. Medical school has long been described as an environment with many stressors that can affect students' health. This study aimed to assess the association between stress and various skin symptoms among medical students at Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional research was conducted to assess the association between stress and various skin symptoms among medical students at Arar, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire included demographic data of the students, Self- Reported Skin Complaints Questionnaire and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale Results: A total of 234 medical students were enrolled in the study. In this study, the prevalence of stress among the students was 75.2%. Students were classified into mild stress (17.9%), moderate stress (13.7%), and severe stress (43.6%). The most frequent skin complaints were dryness of skin and oily skin (68.4% and 65.8%, respectively). Stress was significantly associated with self-reported skin complaints among the students and corelated with the number of self-reported skin complaints. Conclusion: Our study reveals high levels of stress among medical students. Stress was strongly linked to various skin complaints among medical students. Our study reveals high levels of stress among medical students. Stress was strongly linked to various skin complaints among medical students