Impulsivity in patients with acne excoriee

Background

Impulsivity is the tendency to make decisions and act quickly without adequate planning and anticipating risks. Impulsivity is among the core symptoms of many psychiatric disorders. In addition, impulsivity can affect the course of various diseases shaped by behaviors.

Aims

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the presence of acne excoriee and different impulsivity dimensions.

Study Design

A case–control study.

Methods

Thirty patients with acne excoriee (AE+) and 30 acne vulgaris patients without excoriated lesions (AE-) enrolled in this study. Impulsivity was evaluated by The Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS). In addition, The Beck Anxiety Inventory, The Beck Depression Inventory, and The Skin Picking Scale were applied to assess the clinical characteristics of the participants.

Results

AE+ patients had higher non-planning subscale scores of BIS than AE- patients in this study. In addition, the acne-picking severity score determined by The Skin Picking Scale was positively correlated with non-planning subscale scores of BIS. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding the Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory.

Conclusions

These results indicate that AE patients have a lack of forethought. In other words, it has been shown that impulsive personality traits, which indicate a lack of planning for the future, may be associated with the acne-picking behavior of the patients.