{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,16]],"date-time":"2026-04-16T21:02:41Z","timestamp":1776373361965,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,3]],"date-time":"2025-06-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1748908800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine of Wroc\u0142aw University of Science and Technology, Poland"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Cutaneous manifestations can signal underlying systemic inflammation, potentially exacerbated by chronic stress and diminished well-being. While links between psychosocial factors and skin health are recognized, comprehensive data across diverse populations remain limited. This study aimed to quantify associations between self-reported stress management capabilities, sociodemographic factors (gender, age, education, urbanization, professional status), lifestyle factors indicative of well-being, and the prevalence of six common dermatological manifestations (pruritus, burning sensations, redness, rash, desquamation, sunburn) within a large Polish cohort. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 27,000 adult participants (22,043 women, 4887 men) collected during the National Healthy Skin Test (2023) via an online questionnaire. Participants reported the frequency of dermatological symptoms, stress management practices related to skin health, and relevant lifestyle factors (indicators of well-being). Logistic regression analyses identified significant predictors for each skin manifestation. Results: Effective stress coping ability was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of all six investigated dermatological manifestations (p &lt; 0.001 for all). Significant gender differences emerged: women reported more frequent redness and burning sensations (p &lt; 0.001), while men reported more frequent rash, sunburn, and desquamation (p &lt; 0.001). Younger age (18\u201324 years) was associated with increased rash, desquamation, and redness compared to older adults (&gt;65 years), who reported fewer burning sensations and less pruritus. Higher education and residence in large urban centers (\u2265500,000 inhabitants) were associated with increased reports of specific symptoms like sunburn and redness. Conclusions: This large-scale study demonstrates a significant association between psychosocial factors, particularly self-reported stress management, and the prevalence of six common, self-reported dermatological manifestations across various sociodemographic groups in Poland. The findings underscore the potential importance of considering a biopsychosocial approach in relation to these common skin symptoms. Further research is warranted, but these results suggest that for such common, self-reported skin issues, integrating stress reduction strategies and considering sociodemographic contexts and well-being may be valuable considerations for potentially enhancing personalized patient care and warrant further clinical investigation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14113943","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,3]],"date-time":"2025-06-03T11:55:52Z","timestamp":1748951752000},"page":"3943","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Psychosocial Factors, Stress, and Well-Being: Associations with Common Dermatological Manifestations in a Large Polish Cross-Sectional Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Anna","family":"Kubrak","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Labplus R&D, Wyspa S\u0142odowa 7, 50-266 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-5566-6278","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna","family":"Zimny-Zaj\u0105c","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medonet, Ringier Axel Springer Poland, Domaniewska St. 49, 02-672 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sebastian","family":"Makuch","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Beata","family":"Jankowska-Pola\u0144ska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-386 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wojciech","family":"Ta\u0144ski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-386 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0766-6342","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jacek C.","family":"Szepietowski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermato-Venereology, 4th Military Hospital, 50-981 Wroclaw, Poland"},{"name":"Division of Dermatology, Venereology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-386 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Siddarth","family":"Agrawal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Labplus R&D, Wyspa S\u0142odowa 7, 50-266 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"James, K.A., Stromin, J.I., Steenkamp, N., and Combrinck, M.I. (2023). Understanding the relationships between physiological and psychosocial stress, cortisol and cognition. Front. Endocrinol., 14.","DOI":"10.3389\/fendo.2023.1085950"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"190","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1749-6632.2009.05331.x","article-title":"Central role of the brain in stress and adaptation: Links to socioeconomic status, health, and disease","volume":"1186","author":"McEwen","year":"2010","journal-title":"Ann. New York Acad. Sci."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"199","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2133.1994.tb02900.x","article-title":"The relationship between stress and the onset and exacerbation of psoriasis and other skin conditions","volume":"130","author":"Kent","year":"1994","journal-title":"Br. J. Dermatol."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3672","DOI":"10.1111\/jocd.14040","article-title":"Prevalence of acne vulgaris and its clinico-epidemiological pattern in adult patients: Results of a prospective, observational study","volume":"20","author":"Shah","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Cosmet. Dermatol."},{"key":"ref_5","first-page":"e162","article-title":"Perceived stress in patients with inflammatory and non-inflammatory skin conditions. An observational controlled study among 255 Norwegian dermatological outpatients","volume":"2","author":"Balieva","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ski. Health Dis."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"81","DOI":"10.1016\/j.iac.2010.09.010","article-title":"The impact of psychological stress on wound healing: Methods and mechanisms","volume":"31","author":"Gouin","year":"2011","journal-title":"Immunol. Allergy Clin. N. Am."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"74","DOI":"10.1006\/brbi.2000.0619","article-title":"Stress-induced susceptibility to bacterial infection during cutaneous wound healing","volume":"16","author":"Rojas","year":"2002","journal-title":"Brain Behav. Immun."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"403908","DOI":"10.1155\/2012\/403908","article-title":"Psychological Stress and the Cutaneous Immune Response: Roles of the HPA Axis and the Sympathetic Nervous System in Atopic Dermatitis and Psoriasis","volume":"2012","author":"Hall","year":"2012","journal-title":"Dermatol. Res. Pract."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"177","DOI":"10.2174\/1871528113666140522104422","article-title":"Brain-skin connection: Stress, inflammation and skin aging","volume":"13","author":"Chen","year":"2014","journal-title":"Inflamm. Allergy Drug Targets"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e2021091","DOI":"10.5826\/dpc.1104a91","article-title":"Stress and Skin: An Overview of Mind Body Therapies as a Treatment Strategy in Dermatology","volume":"11","author":"Graubard","year":"2021","journal-title":"Dermatol. Pract. Concept."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e51962","DOI":"10.2196\/51962","article-title":"The Potential of Exercise on Lifestyle and Skin Function: Narrative Review","volume":"7","author":"Oizumi","year":"2024","journal-title":"JMIR Dermatol."},{"key":"ref_12","first-page":"46","article-title":"Diet and Dermatology: The Role of Dietary Intervention in Skin Disease","volume":"7","author":"Katta","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Clin. Aesthet. Dermatol."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"298","DOI":"10.4161\/derm.22876","article-title":"Discovering the link between nutrition and skin aging","volume":"4","author":"Schagen","year":"2012","journal-title":"Dermato-Endocrinology"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kliniec, K., Tota, M., Zalesi\u0144ska, A., \u0141yko, M., and Jankowska-Konsur, A. (2023). Skin Cancer Risk, Sun-Protection Knowledge and Behavior in Athletes-A Narrative Review. Cancers, 15.","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers15133281"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"163","DOI":"10.1016\/j.clindermatol.2020.09.003","article-title":"A dermatologic perspective on multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children","volume":"39","author":"Naka","year":"2020","journal-title":"Clin. Dermatol."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.iac.2016.08.016","article-title":"Atopic Dermatitis and Allergic Urticaria: Cutaneous Manifestations of Immunodeficiency","volume":"37","author":"Gaudinski","year":"2016","journal-title":"Immunol. Allergy Clin. N. Am."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Yang, J., Yang, H., Xu, A., and He, L. (2020). A Review of Advancement on Influencing Factors of Acne: An Emphasis on Environment Characteristics. Front. Public Health, 8.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2020.00450"},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1496","DOI":"10.1111\/jdv.15583","article-title":"The impact of airborne pollution on skin","volume":"33","author":"Araviiskaia","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Eur Acad. Dermatol. Venereol."},{"key":"ref_19","first-page":"249","article-title":"Urban-rural differences in the prevalence of atopic diseases in the general population in Lodz Province (Poland)","volume":"26","author":"Elgalal","year":"2009","journal-title":"Adv. Dermatol. Allergol. \/Post\u0119py Dermatol. I Alergologii"},{"key":"ref_20","first-page":"253","article-title":"Allergies in urban versus countryside settings in Poland as part of the Epidemiology of the Allergic Diseases in Poland (ECAP) study\u2014challenge the early differential diagnosis","volume":"3","author":"Piekarska","year":"2016","journal-title":"Alergol. Pol."},{"key":"ref_21","first-page":"209","article-title":"Increased sensitization in urban vs. rural environment--rural protection or an urban living effect?","volume":"19","author":"Priftis","year":"2008","journal-title":"Pediatr. Allergy Immunol."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"713","DOI":"10.1093\/bjd\/ljae260","article-title":"International study on prevalence of itch: Examining the role of itch as a major global public health problem","volume":"191","author":"Yosipovitch","year":"2024","journal-title":"Br. J. Dermatol."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"674","DOI":"10.2340\/00015555-1159","article-title":"Prevalence, correlates and characteristics of chronic pruritus: A population-based cross-sectional study","volume":"91","author":"Matterne","year":"2011","journal-title":"Acta Derm. Venereol."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"339","DOI":"10.2340\/00015555-0662","article-title":"Epidemiology of Itch: Adding to the Burden of Skin Morbidity","volume":"89","author":"Weisshaar","year":"2009","journal-title":"Acta Derm. Venereol."}],"container-title":["Journal of Clinical Medicine"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/14\/11\/3943\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T17:46:46Z","timestamp":1760032006000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/14\/11\/3943"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,3]]},"references-count":24,"journal-issue":{"issue":"11","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6]]}},"alternative-id":["jcm14113943"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/jcm14113943","relation":{},"ISSN":["2077-0383"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2077-0383","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,3]]}}}