Identifying mental health needs of children and youth with skin disease: A systematic review of screening and assessment tools

Abstract

Background and objectives: (1) To identify patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) which have been used to screen and assess mental health symptoms in studies of youth with skin disease. (2) To critically appraise their evidence base in this population.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted within PubMed and PsycINFO combining search terms for pediatric populations, dermatology, screening and assessment tools, and psychological and psychiatric conditions, to identify PROMs which screened or assessed for mental health symptoms in youth with skin disease. PROMs which had undergone validation within this population were assessed for quality and evidence base using the COSMIN risk of bias tool.

Results: One hundred eleven PROMs which assess mental health symptoms in studies of youth with skin disease were identified. These included generic mental health scales which are extensively validated in different populations. Only one PROM, the "Skin Picking Scale-Revised" has undergone specific validation in youth with skin disease. This showed poor quality of evidence for content validity and therefore cannot be recommended.

Conclusion: There is an urgent need to identify mental health problems early and treat proactively to improve outcomes in youth with skin disease. This review highlights the current lack of consensus around the best way to assess our patients. It is likely that existing generic mental health methods and PROMS will be appropriate for our needs. More work is required to examine the utility, feasibility, and acceptability of existing generic, validated mental health screening tools in youth with skin disease.

Keywords: adolescent; child; dermatology; mental health; patient reported outcome measures.