Association between Treatment Adherence and Depression with Health- Related Quality of Life in Women with Vitiligo

Abstract

Background: Vitiligo, a chronic depigmentary dermatosis, significantly compromises health-related quality of life (HRQoL), especially among women. Treatment adherence and depression are two important factors that can influence HRQoL in these patients. This study aimed to investigate the association between treatment adherence, depression, and HRQoL in women with vitiligo.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 152 women with vitiligo who were selected using convenient sampling method from a dermatology clinic in Ahvaz, Iran, in 2023. The study employed the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), Treatment Adherence Questionnaire (TAQ), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to collect data. Pearson correlation coefficients assessed the relationships between variables, while stepwise regression analysis explored the independent contributions of these factors to the outcome variables.Results: Our results showed mean scores (SD) of 58.13 (11.50) for HRQoL, 49.70 (8.82) for treatment adherence, and 20.25 (4.47) for depression. Significant positive and negative correlations were observed between treatment adherence and HRQoL (r=0.44, P<0.001) and depression and HRQoL (r=-0.36, P<0.001), respectively. Furthermore, regression analysis confirmed that both treatment adherence (β=0.51, P<0.001) and depression (β=-0.57, P<0.001) were significantly associated with HRQoL in women with vitiligo.Conclusion: These results highlighted the importance of treatment adherence as a key factor influencing HRQoL in women with vitiligo. Additionally, the study underscores the negative impact of depression on HRQoL, suggesting the potential benefit of addressing both treatment adherence and depression in clinical management strategies to optimize HRQoL for women with vitiligo.

Keywords

• vitiligo
• treatment adherence
• depression
• health-related quality of life
• women