Association of Skin Cancer With Clinical Depression and Poor Mental Health Days - Cross-Sectional Analysis

Q: What mental health outcomes are evaluated in the study?

The study evaluates clinical depression and the number of poor mental health days in relation to nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnosis.

Q: How were the associations analyzed?

Logistic regression assessed the association with depression, while Poisson regression modeled poor mental health days, adjusting for sociodemographic variables and major comorbid conditions.

Q: What were the main findings after adjustment?

After adjustment, nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnosis was not significantly associated with depression, but it was associated with a slightly lower number of poor mental health days.

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by Lucas Martin

Mental health is increasingly treated as an essential component of overall health, particularly for people living with cancer, yet the link between nonmelanoma skin cancer and mental health remains insufficiently studied. This cross-sectional analysis examines the association between nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnosis and clinical depression as well as poor mental health days using a large US adult survey. Logistic and Poisson regression models adjust for sociodemographic factors and major comorbidities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Objective

Methods

Results

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Keywords

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JMIR DERMATOLOGY Ray & Nguyen Original Paper Association of Skin Cancer With Clinical Depression and Poor Mental Health Days: Cross-Sectional Analysis | Riona Ray 1 ; Mytien Nguyen2 , MS, PhD | | --- | | 1Marvin Ridge High School, Waxhaw, NC, United States 2Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
Corresponding Author:
Riona Ray
Marvin Ridge High School 7117 Stonehaven Drive Waxhaw, NC 28173 United States
Phone: +1 402-871-2550
Email: [rionaray21@gmail.com](rionaray21@gmail.com)
Abstract | | Background: Mental health is becoming increasingly recognized as an important part of overall health, especially for patients with cancer. However, the relationship between nonmelanoma skin cancer and mental health has not been widely studied.
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the association between nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnosis and 2 key mental health outcomes (ie, clinical depression and the number of poor mental health days) .
Methods: This study used the 2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a nationally representative survey of adults in the United States, which included 312,317 participants. Nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnosis, depression, and self-reported mental health days were analyzed. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between nonmelanoma skin cancer and depression, whereas Poisson regression was used to model the number of poor mental health days, adjusting for age, sex, race and ethnicity, education, BMI, income, and major comorbid conditions (other cancers, heart disease, lung disease, and kidney disease) .
Results: Individuals with nonmelanoma skin cancer (5086/26,552, 19.15%) reported a lower overall rate of depression compared to those without nonmelanoma skin cancer (61,438/285,765, 21.50%; P<.001) but reported more poor mental health days on average (4.54, SD 8.37 d vs 3.20, SD 7.37 d; P<.001) . After adjustment, nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnosis was not significantly associated with depression (adjusted odds ratio 1.01, 95% CI 0.98‐1.05) and was associated with a slightly lower number of poor mental health days (adjusted rate ratio 0.94, 95% CI 0.91‐0.97) .
Conclusions: Adults with nonmelanoma skin cancer experienced a meaningful mental health burden, and unadjusted analyses suggested greater day-to-day distress than among adults without nonmelanoma skin cancer . However, these differences were reduced and no longer significant for depression after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and comorbid chronic illnesses. These findings support the need for mental health screenings and support services in dermatologic and oncologic care .
JMIR Dermatol 2026;9:e80710; doi: 10.2196/80710 | Keywords: mental health; nonmelanoma skin cancer; depression; sociodemographic variables; analysis Introduction Background In recent years, public health conversations have continued to emphasize the importance of mental health. Mental health is increasingly viewed not as a stand-alone issue, but as a factor that deeply interacts with physical illness, such as cancer [1] . While nonmelanoma skin cancer has obvious physical consequences, it poses serious complications regarding mental health. This aspect has not received sufficient attention in the health care field [2] . Dermatologists and oncologists are facing a dramatic rise in cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer, with melanoma rates doubling over the past two decades [3] . Nonmelanoma skin cancer is one of the most diagnosed malignancies in the world today, with rates for both melanoma and nonmelanoma types on the rise [https://derma.jmir.org/2026/1/e80710](https://derma.jmir.org/2026/1/e80710) JMIR Dermatol 2026 | vol. 9 | e80710 | p. 1 (page number not for citation purposes) JMIR DERMATOLOGY Ray & Nguyen [3] . The relationship between mental state and nonmelanoma skin cancer is a complex feat. While the stress of diagnosis and treatment can create or worsen mental hea

FAQs

What mental health outcomes are evaluated in the study?

The study evaluates clinical depression and the number of poor mental health days in relation to nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnosis.

How were the associations analyzed?

Logistic regression assessed the association with depression, while Poisson regression modeled poor mental health days, adjusting for sociodemographic variables and major comorbid conditions.

What were the main findings after adjustment?

After adjustment, nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnosis was not significantly associated with depression, but it was associated with a slightly lower number of poor mental health days.

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by Lucas Martin