Association of alopecia with self-esteem in children and adolescents

Özge Aşkın; Zehra Koyuncu; Server Serdaroğlu

doi:10.1515/ijamh-2020-0100

Article

Association of alopecia with self-esteem in children and adolescents

Özge Aşkın , Zehra Koyuncu and Server Serdaroğlu

Published/Copyright: August 24, 2020

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From the journal International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health Volume 34 Issue 5

Abstract

Objectives

Hair is important for individuals due to its cosmetic functions and its anatomical and physiological features. Hair loss in children significantly affects their social and psychological well-being and may lead to significant psychological distress in those not benefiting from medical and/or traditional therapies. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the self-esteem in children and adolescents with alopecia areata.

Methods

This comparative study included children and adolescents with the diagnosis of alopecia and age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Self-esteem was evaluated by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES).

Results

The study included 64 patients with alopecia (M/F, 32/32; mean age, 12.2 ± 3.0 years) and 60 healthy controls (M/F, 30/30; mean age, 12.0 ± 3.0 years). Age (p=0.64) and sex (p=1.0) distributions were similar between the groups. Of the patients, 35 had alopecia areata, 21 had alopecia universalis, and eight had alopecia totalis. The RSES score of patients was significantly higher than that of the controls (median [interquartile range], 1 [0–2] and 1 [0–1], respectively; p=0.008). The distribution of the participants according to the level of self-esteem (low, moderate, and high) based on the RSES scores revealed that, the proportion of patients with low and moderate self-esteem were significantly higher as compared with controls (p=0.001). The diagnostic subtype and sex did not affect the distribution of self-esteem scores in both groups.

Conclusions

Hair loss is a significant factor affecting self-esteem of children and adolescents. Deteriorations in self-esteem may progress to psychological comorbidities if not approached, diagnosed, and treated timely and efficiently.

Keywords: adolescents; alopecia areata; children; hair loss; Rosenberg self-esteem scale; self-esteem

Corresponding author: Özge Aşkın, MD, Deri ve Zuhrevi Hastaliklar Anabilim Dali, Istanbul Universitesi Cerrahpasa Tip Fakultesi, Cerrahpasa Mahallesi Kocamustafapasa Caddesi No: 34/E Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey, Phone: +905303707017, E-mail: ozgee_karakus@hotmail.com

Research funding: None declared.
Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
Competing interests: The authors ensure that they have no conflicts of interests.
Informed consent: This was obtained from the patients and controls and their legal guardians.
Ethical approval: The study was approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty (Approval number: 83045809-604.01.02; approval date: December 03, 2019) and conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 1983.

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Received: 2020-05-04

Accepted: 2020-06-18

Published Online: 2020-08-24

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2020-0100

Keywords for this article

adolescents; alopecia areata; children; hair loss; Rosenberg self-esteem scale; self-esteem