Validation of the Dermatological Mental Load Questionnaire (DMLQ) in patients with chronic skin conditions

A 1698-patient multinational study (Brazil, China, France, USA) evaluated the Dermatological Mental Load Questionnaire (DMLQ) in adults with chronic skin conditions including acne, atopic dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, psoriasis, rosacea and vitiligo, confirming its two-factor structure (Psychological Burden and Disease Management), good internal consistency and acceptable convergent validity with stigma and long-term life-impact measures. The DMLQ proved particularly robust in common conditions (acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis), while results in hidradenitis suppurativa and vitiligo require cautious interpretation, supporting its use as a brief, pragmatic tool to quantify mental load in routine practice and research on chronic dermatoses