The Association of Depression, Loneliness, and Internet Addiction Levels in Male Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) Students With Androgenetic Alopecia Male Pattern Baldness in a Medical College in Kolar, India

Introduction The genetically determined progressive process that causes a gradual conversion of terminal hair into vellus hair is known as androgenetic alopecia (AGA). AGA male pattern baldness is very common among male medical students whose self-image is severely deteriorated by AGA and this affects the quality of their professional career. Hence, the assessment of the association of depression, loneliness, and internet addiction levels of male Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students with AGA male pattern baldness is essential to improving academic and professional performance. Aims and objectives The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of AGA male pattern baldness and its severity on depression, loneliness, and internet addiction levels of male medical students in Kolar. Materials and methods This questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 male MBBS students from Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College in Kolar with AGA male pattern baldness of varying grades. The participants were selected through simple random sampling from July 2022 to November 2022 with their prior informed consent. Students' AGA severity was evaluated clinically using the Norwood-Hamilton Classification. Their levels of depression, loneliness, and internet addiction were assessed using the standardized Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scale, University of Carolina Los Angeles - Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS), and Young Internet Addiction Test - Short Form (YIAT-SF), respectively, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to ascertain the statistical significance between the means of BDI, UCLA-LS, and YIAT-SF with the severity of AGA. Chi-square/Fisher Exact test was used to find the significance of study parameters on a categorical scale between two or more groups. Significance was assessed at a 5% level of significance. Results The mean of BDI (17.38, 25.11, 34.62, 41.25, 51.00), UCLA-LS (18.72,27.51,36.69,43.5,49.00), and YIAT-SF (20.51, 31.77, 50.31, 60.25, 72.00) scores in each of the AGA grades from Grade I to Grade V in our study showed that these scores increase along with an increase in the severity of AGA and are statistically significant. The frequency distribution of male medical students with varied degrees of AGA and the level of depression, loneliness, and internet addiction levels assessed by the BDI, UCLA-LS, and YIAT-SF showed a robust and statistically significant association between the severity of AGA and the severity of depression, loneliness, and internet addiction levels. Conclusion The current study showed that there is a statistically significant association of depression, loneliness, and internet addiction levels in male MBBS students with AGA male pattern baldness.