Exploring the Psychosocial Impact on Parents of Adolescents Diagnosed With Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Retrospective Claims-Based Analysis

Background: Chronic conditions, such as hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), can have an immense impact on patient quality of life; however, less is known about the influence that these diseases may have on the parents of adolescent patients with HS. This study aims to investigate the significance of an HS diagnosis on an adolescent’s parents, including depression, anxiety, and changes in employment status. An understanding of this relationship can assist in both the prevention, screening, and treatment of mental health conditions in parents. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the MarketScan Claims database. Data were collected for adolescents and their parents using a 3-year study period between 1/1/2015-12/31/2017; families with adolescents aged 11-17 years with HS and randomly selected age-/sex-matched adolescents without HS and their families (1:5 ratio) were used as controls, and a total of 20,568 families were included in this study. Claims of depression, anxiety, and employment status change in parents of adolescents with HS were compared against parents of adolescents without HS using regression analysis. Results: The study population involved 20,568 families, including 3,428 families with HS (mean [SD] age of adolescent: 14.54 [1.70]) and 17,140 control families (mean [SD] age of adolescent: 14.35 [1.92]). The majority of adolescents in the study were female (81.7%). Parents of adolescents with HS experienced significantly higher rates of depression (21.53% vs. 19.57%, p = 0.009) than unaffected parents, as well as significantly higher rates of employment status change (6.30% vs 5.21%, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Parents of adolescents with HS are more likely to experience depression and changes in employment status than unaffected parents. These results highlight the significant consequences that an HS diagnosis has on a family and underscore the need for further attention and resources for the mental health of these susceptible caregivers.