Social Sensitivity and ACNE: The Role of Personality in Negative Social Consequences and Quality of Life

Background:Acne affects a majority of adolescents and a substantial number of adults. The adverse social impact of acne is well documented. Negative social consequences, however, are likely to be determined by personality features as well as acne severity.Purpose:To determine whether a personality trait—dispositional social sensitivity—is associated with the adverse social impact of acne.Methods:A survey of 479 acne sufferers between the ages of 16 and 62 was conducted in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States. Respondents were classified as either high or low social sensitivity and compared on demographic, disease characteristics, and quality of life. Main and interaction effects were evaluated for acne severity and social sensitivity in relation to global and intimate social concerns and social interference.Results:Greater acne severity was significantly associated with poorer social outcomes and quality of life (ps < 0.05). For women, higher social sensitivity was independently associated...