Abstract / Summary
Anxiety and depressive symptoms are common in older adults with dermatological conditions, but their multidimensional correlates remain unclear. This study aimed to determine the frequency of clinically significant anxiety and depressive symptoms and examine associated social, psychiatric, medication-related, and dermatological factors. This prospective cross-sectional study included 300 patients aged ≥ 65 years consecutively recruited from the Dermatology Outpatient Clinic of Malatya Turgut Özal University Faculty of Medicine between January and March 2026. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Turkish Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). HADS-A > 10 and HADS-D > 7 defined clinically significant anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. Hierarchical multivariable logistic regression was performed to examine associations after adjustment for prespecified measured covariates, with polypharmacy evaluated separately in sensitivity analysis. Clinically significant anxiety and depressive symptoms were identified in 36.7% and 43.3% of participants, respectively. After adjustment for the measured covariates included in the models, clinically significant anxiety symptoms were associated with psychiatric history (OR = 2.08, p = 0.013), total medication count (OR = 1.25 per medication, p < 0.001), and visible skin involvement (OR = 1.76, p = 0.031). Clinically significant depressive symptoms were associated with living alone (OR = 2.32, p = 0.003), psychiatric history (OR = 2.89, p < 0.001), and total medication count (OR = 1.25 per medication, p < 0.001). Clinically significant anxiety and depressive symptoms were frequent among older dermatology outpatients and were associated with psychiatric history, medication burden, and living arrangement. Visible skin involvement was associated with anxiety symptoms in the primary model, although this association was attenuated and was no longer statistically significant in the additional sensitivity analysis. These findings should be interpreted as observational associations rather than causal effects.