After adjusting for sociodemographic factors and comorbid chronic illnesses, nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnosis was not significantly associated with depression and was associated with a slightly lower number of poor mental health days, though unadjusted analyses suggested greater day-to-day distress among adults with nonmelanoma skin cancer.
Key Findings
Results
Individuals with nonmelanoma skin cancer reported a lower unadjusted overall rate of clinical depression compared to those without nonmelanoma skin cancer.
19.15% (5086/26,552) of individuals with nonmelanoma skin cancer reported depression versus 21.50% (61,438/285,765) of those without nonmelanoma skin cancer.
This difference was statistically significant (P<.001).
Data were drawn from the 2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System with 312,317 total participants.
Results
Individuals with nonmelanoma skin cancer reported more poor mental health days on average in unadjusted analysis compared to those without nonmelanoma skin cancer.
Mean poor mental health days: 4.54 (SD 8.37) days for those with nonmelanoma skin cancer versus 3.20 (SD 7.37) days for those without.
This difference was statistically significant (P<.001).
Results
After adjustment for covariates, nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnosis was not significantly associated with clinical depression.
Adjusted odds ratio was 1.01 (95% CI 0.98–1.05).
Covariates adjusted for included age, sex, race and ethnicity, education, BMI, income, and major comorbid conditions (other cancers, heart disease, lung disease, and kidney disease).
Logistic regression was used to evaluate this association.
Results
After adjustment for covariates, nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnosis was associated with a slightly lower number of poor mental health days.
Adjusted rate ratio was 0.94 (95% CI 0.91–0.97).
Poisson regression was used to model the number of poor mental health days.
The same set of sociodemographic and comorbidity covariates was applied.
Methods
The study used the 2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a nationally representative survey of adults in the United States.
Total sample size was 312,317 participants.
26,552 participants had nonmelanoma skin cancer and 285,765 did not.
Nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnosis, depression, and self-reported mental health days were the key variables analyzed.
Conclusions
The authors concluded that adults with nonmelanoma skin cancer experienced a meaningful mental health burden, supporting the need for mental health screenings in dermatologic and oncologic care.
Unadjusted analyses suggested greater day-to-day distress than among adults without nonmelanoma skin cancer.
Differences were reduced and no longer significant for depression after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and comorbid chronic illnesses.
The findings were interpreted as supporting "the need for mental health screenings and support services in dermatologic and oncologic care."
Ray R, Nguyen M. (2026). Association of Skin Cancer With Clinical Depression and Poor Mental Health Days: Cross-Sectional Analysis.. JMIR dermatology. https://doi.org/10.2196/80710