Association between psychosocial distress, sexual disorders, self-esteem and quality of life with male androgenetic alopecia: a population-based study with men at age 46

OBJECTIVES: To study the association between androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and its severity with psychosocial well-being in male subjects aged 46 years at the population level. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: The Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966). PARTICIPANTS: Data were available for 892 male subjects aged 46 years. INTERVENTIONS: Study subjects underwent comprehensive health examinations including a skin evaluation by dermatologists and determination of AGA according to the Norwood classification. They also filled in a questionnaire battery that included previously validated questionnaires: the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25, the Beck Depression Inventory–II; the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Screener; a 15-dimensional measure of health-related quality of life; a 12-Item General Health Questionnaire. The battery also included questions about self-esteem and sexual health. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: The presence of AGA and its severity, psychosocial well-being. RESULTS: AGA was found in 68.5% of subjects, 27.8% of the cases were severe, 33.2% moderate and 39.0% mild. There was no significant association between the presence of AGA or its severity with depression, anxiety, quality of life, self-esteem or sexual symptoms. Those with severe AGA reported lower sexual activity when compared with those without AGA; however, the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Middle-aged men with AGA did not differ from men without AGA in terms of psychosocial well-being.