engleski

The influence of psychological stress on the level of natural moisturizing factor in the student population

This study aimed to examine the effect of psychological stress on the level of natural moisturizing factor (NMF) among third- and sixth-year medical students. Methods: 25 third-year students and 25 sixth-year students participated in the study. They completed the standard Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) questionnaire, and their samples of stratum corneum of the skin were taken during a period without exams (stress-free period) and during the exam period (stressful period). NMF was determined from stratum corneum using the tape stripping method. The NMF constituents were extracted from the adhesive tapes and determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. The NMF level was normalized for the amount of protein in the stratum corneum. Statistical analysis was done using Wilcoxon, Mann Whitney U, and Student’s t-test. Results: The PSS results have shown that third-year students experienced higher stress than sixth-year students (p < 0.001) during the stress-free period. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups during the stressful period. Significantly higher stress levels during the stressful period compared to the stress-free period were present only among sixth-year students. The level of NMF in both groups did not differ significantly between the two periods. During both the stressful and stress-free periods, there was no difference in the level of NMF between the two groups, but there was a clear trend of increasing NMF levels among the third-year students. Discussion: Considering the results of PSS, the third-year students were exposed to longer-term stress. In contrast, among sixth-year students, stress was associated with the exam period, followed by a period of relaxation between exams. Namely, the change in stress levels between the stress-free and stressful periods was greater in sixth-year students than in third-year students. Furthermore, our study observed a trend of increasing NMF levels with increasing stress levels.

students, psychological stress, natural moisturizing factor, skin barrier

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