Acne: What Does Youth Think About It?

Abstract

Objective: Acne vulgaris, a chronic disorder of pilosebaceous units, is common in adolescents. Early detection and appropriate treatment of acne is essential in the prevention of severe acne and scarring, and the consequent adverse psychosocial disabilities resulting from feelings of embarrassment, frustration and poor self-esteem. Emotional issues in young individuals with acne must be identified appropriately. Material and method: This was a cross-sectional survey involving students applied to a University Medical Center. They were administered a questionnaire including socio-demographical properties, general knowledge about acne and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale’s first ten questions. SPSS 15.0 program was used for statistical analysis and p<0.05 was accepted as statistical significant. Results: Two hundred and forty seven students were included and 63.6% (n.157) were women. Mean age was 21.40±2.38. Majority of the students (99.3%) had acne but 41.3% of acne problems had lasted before three months. Acne was defined as an illness by 53.4% of the students and 38.1% visited a doctor for acne treatment. Conclusion: Despite the high prevalence of acne, there is still much deficiency of knowledge and wrong beliefs about acne. This indicates that there is a need for education about etiopathogenesis, potential complications and importance of effective treatment for acne. Amaç: Akne vulgaris, pilosebase birimlerin ergenlerde yaygın olarak görülen kronik bir hastalığıdır. Aknenin erken tanısı ve uygun tedavisi, şiddetli akne ile yara izi oluşumunun utanç, hayal kırıklığı, düşük benlik saygısı duygularından kaynaklanan, olumsuz psikososyal sorunların önlenmesinde önemlidir. Akneli genç bireylerde, duygusal konular, uygun teşhis edilmelidir. Yöntem: Bu çalışma, bir üniversitenin medikososyal hizmetler birimine başvuran öğrencilerin yer aldığı kesitsel bir çalışmadır. Katılımcılara, sosyodemografik özellikler, akne hakkında genel bilgiler ve Rosenberg Benlik Saygısı Ölçeği ilk on sorusunu içeren bir anket uygulanmıştır. Veri analizinde SPSS 15.0 kullanılmış ve p<0.05 anlamlı kabul edilmiştir. Bulgular: Çalışmaya 247 öğrenci dâhil edilmiş olup % 63,6’sı (n=157) kadındır. Yaş ortalaması 21.40±2.38 (Min=18, Maks=32) olan öğrencilerin çoğunluğunda (%99,3) akne görüldüğü, %41,3’ünde üç aydan az sürdüğü belirtilmiştir. Öğrencilerin %53,4’ü akneyi bir hastalık olarak tanımlamış ve %38,1’i akne tedavisi için doktora başvurmuştur. Sonuç: Üniversite öğrencileri arasında akne görülme sıklığı yüksek olmasına rağmen, akne hakkındaki bilgi düzeyleri düşük bulunmuştur. Konuyla ilgili olarak etiyopatogenez, potansiyel komplikasyonlar ve uygun tedavinin önemi açısından gerekli bilgilendirmenin yarar sağlayabileceği düşünülmektedir.

Keywords

• Acne,acne perception,adolescence,university students,self-esteem,Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale

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