Psychological and cutaneous burden of PCOS in Jordanian women: a cross-sectional study

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent endocrine disorder with significant dermatological and psychological consequences. While these consequences are widely studied globally, data regarding women in Jordan remain scarce. A descriptive, single-center cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary hospital in Jordan. Data were collected from 276 women with PCOS and 80 women of reproductive age without PCOS as a control group. Participants completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Ferriman–Gallwey score for hirsutism, and the Global Acne Grading System (GAGS). Women with PCOS demonstrated significantly higher self-reported mean scores for anxiety symptoms (10.09 vs. 6.16, p = 0.0001), depressive symptoms (12.07 vs. 8.21, p = 0.001), acne (8.16 vs. 3.55, p = 0.0001), and hirsutism (7.64 vs. 3.59, p = 0.0001) compared to controls. After separate ANCOVA adjustments for age, BMI, and income individually, PCOS status remained a significant predictor of all outcomes after each adjustment (all p < 0.001). Furthermore, depressive symptom scores showed significant positive correlations with self‑reported acne scores ( p = 0.003), self‑reported hirsutism scores ( p < 0.001), and anxiety symptom scores ( p < 0.001). Women with PCOS recruited from a single tertiary hospital in Jordan experienced a considerable psychological and dermatological burden. The association between self-reported cutaneous manifestations and psychological distress underscores the necessity of integrating routine dermatological and mental health assessment into standard PCOS management, alongside culturally tailored awareness campaigns.