Associations between skin cancer and psychiatric conditions: A national health interview survey study

Summary: Abstract Body: Skin cancer can be life-threatening and impact quality of life due to disfigurement and psychological distress. These challenges are often associated with psychiatric illnesses. However, the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities after a skin cancer diagnosis remains poorly understood. This study aims to analyze the odds of developing specific psychiatric conditions in skin cancer patients. The 2023 National Health Interview Survey was used to identify participants who reported a prior diagnosis of some form of skin cancer and healthy controls. Survey weights were applied in R (v4.3.3), and demographic data were extrapolated alongside variables corresponding to depression, anxiety, life satisfaction, and receiving mental health treatment. Variables of interest were compared using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test for complex survey samples and chi-squared test with Rao & Scott's second-order correction, followed by adjusted logistic regression. The study included a weighted sample of 8,503,898 participants who reported skin cancer and 237,326,133 who did not. Those with a history of skin cancer were more likely to report depression (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.05-1.37, p<0.05), anxiety (1.36, 1.18-1.57, p<0.05), and psychiatric medication use (1.31, 1.07-1.60, p<0.05). Specifically, females were more likely to report depression (1.58, 1.49-1.67, p<0.05) and anxiety (1.98, 1.85-2.12, p<0.05). Black (0.73, 0.65-0.80, p<0.05), Asian (0.57, 0.51-0.64, p<0.05), and Hispanic (0.58, 0.52-0.63, p<0.05) participants were less likely to report depression than White patients. The findings suggest that patients with skin cancer were more likely to experience psychiatric outcomes compared to those without. Racial minority patients were less likely than White patients to have psychiatric outcomes. Mental health screening should be prioritized in dermatology to mitigate the psychiatric burden in skin cancer patients. Dev Patel¹, Omar Alani¹, Naeha Pathak¹, Rachel Goodman², Katie A. O’Connell², Lara Shqair¹, Atef Fayed³, Dany Alkurdi¹, Shiven Sharma¹, Douglas Johnson² 1. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States. 2. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States. 3. Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States. Clinical Research: Epidemiology and Observational Research