Anger and acne: implications for quality of life, patient satisfaction and clinical care

Summary Background Acne is a common skin disorder with a significant psychological and social impact for some people. Little is known about how personality and emotional traits affect acne and its impact on quality of life and treatment. Trait anger (TA), which is related to heart disease and other morbidities, may also affect acne and patients' adjustment to it. Objectives To evaluate the relationship between TA and acne severity, skin‐related quality of life, satisfaction with treatment, and adherence to treatment. Participants and methods A sample of 479 individuals with acne completed a survey instrument to assess acne severity, skin care practices, skin‐related quality of life, satisfaction with treatment, adherence, TA and demographic variables. Respondents who reported high TA were compared with individuals with low TA on outcome variables. Regression analyses adjusted for covariates and identified the significant predictors of quality of life, satisfaction and adherence. Results High TA was unrelated to acne severity (P = 0·2) or frequency of face washing (P = 0·9). Anger was significantly related to both global quality of life (P