The relationship between physical activity levels and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in individuals with Alopecia Areata
Background: Alopecia Areata (AA) is an autoimmune condition that is characterised by non-scarring hair loss. Its aesthetic repercussions can lead to profound changes in psychological well-being. Although physical activity (PA) has been associated with better mental health outcomes in diverse populat...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer Nature
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88706 |
| _version_ | 1848765068519407616 |
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| author | Rajoo, Y. Wong, J. Cooper, Grant Selva Raj, I. Castle, D. Chong, A. Green, J. Kennedy, G. |
| author_facet | Rajoo, Y. Wong, J. Cooper, Grant Selva Raj, I. Castle, D. Chong, A. Green, J. Kennedy, G. |
| author_sort | Rajoo, Y. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Background: Alopecia Areata (AA) is an autoimmune condition that is characterised by non-scarring hair loss. Its aesthetic repercussions can lead to profound changes in psychological well-being. Although physical activity (PA) has been associated with better mental health outcomes in diverse populations, the association in individuals with AA has not been established. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between PA and mental health outcomes in individuals with AA to inform intervention strategies for this specific population.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among individuals who were diagnosed with AA. A total of 83 respondents aged (40.95 ± 13.24 years) completed a self-report questionnaire consisting of International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and the Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). Three-way contingency Chi-square analyses were used to determine the associations between PA, mental health outcomes and participants with hair loss of more than 50% on the scalp.
Results: 81.9% of the participants did not meet PA guidelines. Participants with hair loss of more than 50% on the scalp, and who did not meet PA guidelines, were significantly more likely to experience symptoms of severe depression (p =.003), moderate anxiety (p =.04) and mild stress (p =.003) than those who met guidelines
Conclusion: Findings suggest that increased PA participation in AA individuals with severe hair loss is associated with improved mental health status. Intervention efforts for this specific population should consider barriers and enablers to PA participation as they face challenges that differ from the general population. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:29:22Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-88706 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:29:22Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-887062025-04-28T03:19:22Z The relationship between physical activity levels and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in individuals with Alopecia Areata Rajoo, Y. Wong, J. Cooper, Grant Selva Raj, I. Castle, D. Chong, A. Green, J. Kennedy, G. Alopecia areata Anxiety Depression Physical activity Stress Adaptation, Psychological Adult Alopecia Areata Anxiety Body Image Cross-Sectional Studies Depression Exercise Female Humans Male Middle Aged Self Concept Surveys and Questionnaires Background: Alopecia Areata (AA) is an autoimmune condition that is characterised by non-scarring hair loss. Its aesthetic repercussions can lead to profound changes in psychological well-being. Although physical activity (PA) has been associated with better mental health outcomes in diverse populations, the association in individuals with AA has not been established. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between PA and mental health outcomes in individuals with AA to inform intervention strategies for this specific population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among individuals who were diagnosed with AA. A total of 83 respondents aged (40.95 ± 13.24 years) completed a self-report questionnaire consisting of International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and the Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). Three-way contingency Chi-square analyses were used to determine the associations between PA, mental health outcomes and participants with hair loss of more than 50% on the scalp. Results: 81.9% of the participants did not meet PA guidelines. Participants with hair loss of more than 50% on the scalp, and who did not meet PA guidelines, were significantly more likely to experience symptoms of severe depression (p =.003), moderate anxiety (p =.04) and mild stress (p =.003) than those who met guidelines Conclusion: Findings suggest that increased PA participation in AA individuals with severe hair loss is associated with improved mental health status. Intervention efforts for this specific population should consider barriers and enablers to PA participation as they face challenges that differ from the general population. 2019 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88706 10.1186/s40359-019-0324-x eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Springer Nature fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Alopecia areata Anxiety Depression Physical activity Stress Adaptation, Psychological Adult Alopecia Areata Anxiety Body Image Cross-Sectional Studies Depression Exercise Female Humans Male Middle Aged Self Concept Surveys and Questionnaires Rajoo, Y. Wong, J. Cooper, Grant Selva Raj, I. Castle, D. Chong, A. Green, J. Kennedy, G. The relationship between physical activity levels and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in individuals with Alopecia Areata |
| title | The relationship between physical activity levels and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in individuals with Alopecia Areata |
| title_full | The relationship between physical activity levels and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in individuals with Alopecia Areata |
| title_fullStr | The relationship between physical activity levels and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in individuals with Alopecia Areata |
| title_full_unstemmed | The relationship between physical activity levels and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in individuals with Alopecia Areata |
| title_short | The relationship between physical activity levels and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in individuals with Alopecia Areata |
| title_sort | relationship between physical activity levels and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in individuals with alopecia areata |
| topic | Alopecia areata Anxiety Depression Physical activity Stress Adaptation, Psychological Adult Alopecia Areata Anxiety Body Image Cross-Sectional Studies Depression Exercise Female Humans Male Middle Aged Self Concept Surveys and Questionnaires |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88706 |