Clinical Study of Emotional State and Personality Characteristics in Patients with Alopecia Aerata

원형탈모증 환자의 정서상태와 성격특성에 관한 임상적 연구

Objectives: This study was aimed to investigate the emotional state and personality characteristics of alopecia aerata patient and to determine whether these characteristics are similar with those of neurotic patient. Methods : 20 alopecia aerata patients, 20 neurotic patients, and 20 normal healthy controls were studied. Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory(STAI) and Korean standardized edition of Catell's 16 Personality factors Questionnaire(16PF) were used for assessment. Results: 1) Total score of BDI was higher in neurosis group than alopecia aerata group and normal control group(p<0.05). Inspire of statistical non-significance, total score of in alopecia aerata group was higher than normal control group. 2) Total scores of state anxiety and trait anxiety in alopecia aerata and neurosis group were significantly higher than normal control group(p<0.001). 3) In first-stratum source traits of 16PF, normal control group was significantly higher than alopecia aerata group and neurosis group in B-factor(intelligence) and C-factor(ego-strength)(p<0.05). Alopecia aerata group and neurosis group were significantly higher than normal control group in O-factor(guilt-proneness) and $Q_4-factor(tension,\;anxiety)$(p<0.001). 4) In second-stratum source traits of 16PF, alopecia aerata group and neurosis group were significantly higher than normal control group in ANX-factor(anxiety)(p<0.05). Conclusions : These results suggest that emotional state and personality characterstics of patients with alopecia aerata are a distinguishable different to compare with normal control, and are very similar with those of neurotic patients. The authors propose that psychiatric management in patient with alopecia aerata will be more benificial.