The association of depression, anxiety, and stress with acne and acne scars among young females in Saudi Arabia: a nationwide study

Background: Acne is a common skin disease that typically manifests during puberty and can persist to adulthood. Even though acne is not a life-threatening condition, it has the potential to cause distress and adverse psychosocial consequences such as social phobia, poor self-esteem, and depression. Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional survey design involving young females from Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using online surveys targeting Saudi young females. Data analysis involved the use of the R software. Results: A total of 921 female participants were involved in this study. The mean age was 21.03 ± 2.41 years. Acne presence was reported in 76.2%, and scars from acne were reported in 67.4%. Worrying from acne was found to be 65.8%. Depression was found to be present in 58.63% of participants, anxiety was also found to be existing in 62.76%, and stress was found to be in 44.63% of participants. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of acne among young Saudi females. Having acne was not predictive of adverse psychological outcomes. Having scars from acne and bullying from acne influenced some or all the psychological outcomes.