Common dermatological complaints and their psychosocial impact: a descriptive cross-sectional study among undergraduates of an outstation university of Sri Lanka.

Abstract

Introduction: Dermatological conditions are non-life-threatening but cause serious psychological stress among the young population. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of selected self-reported dermatological conditions and their impact on university students.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in three faculties of the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. A minimum of 200 undergraduates were selected from each faculty from simple random sampling. A validated, self-administered questionnaire was used in Sinhala English and Tamil all as e-forms and papers to assess the common dermatological complaints, duration, and associated psycho-social effects.Results: Among 614 participants, 400 (65%) females and 214 (35%) males were included. More than half of the participants (n=326, 53%) reported a dermatological complaint during their university period and 277 reported a recurrent dermatological problem. Self-reported acne was the most reported (n=325) and diagnosed psoriasis (n=2) was the least reported condition of interest. Pityriasis versicolar prevalence was significantly highest among males (n=257) and dandruff was commonest among females (n=178).The study has shown significant self-reported distress associated with dermatological conditions which make 89.7% of participants think dermatological conditions as something to worry about, p<0.005. Common responses for dermatological conditions were self- medication (n=200, 32.5%) and consultation of any doctor (n=342, 55%)Conclusion: Higher prevalence of dermatological conditions among university students should be addressed during health interventions. Psycho-social effects which can lead to personal and academic distress need to be intervened carefully to improve the quality of life