• Jeong-Hui Park, Tyler Prochnow, Jongwha Chang, and Sun Jung Kim.
• Texas A&M University, School of Public Health, College Station, TX, USA.
• Patient Prefer Adher. 2023 Jan 1; 17: 739747739-747.

ObjectiveAtopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the common chronic diseases that occur in children and adolescents as a chronic relapsing pruritic inflammatory skin disease. This study investigated how AD is associated with stress and depressive symptoms in a large representative sample of adolescents in South Korea.MethodsThe Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey 2019 was used in this study (n = 57,069, weighted national estimates = 2,672,170). Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine significant associations between AD and mental health, measured by stress and depressive symptoms. Sub-group analysis was also conducted using various socio-economic variables.ResultsAmong the present sample, 6.5% of adolescents (n = 173,909) were diagnosed with AD in the past 12 months. After adjusting for other variables, AD diagnosis was associated with significantly higher odds of experiencing stress (OR = 1.43) and depressive symptoms (OR = 1.32) as compared to adolescents without AD. A similar trend is found in subgroup model analysis using socio-economic variables (ie, education levels, parent's income levels, and residence area). Specifically, female adolescents with AD, adolescents of low socio-economic status, those reporting smoking and drinking experience, and who do not participate in regular physical activity are more vulnerable to stress and depressive symptoms.ConclusionThis is a noteworthy finding because it denotes that AD may lead to negative outcomes, like depressive symptoms or stress, which could be prevented if suspected early.© 2023 Park et al.

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