Introduction: Melanoma is a chronic disease that significantly affects patients’ daily functioning and emotional well-being. Beyond its somatic burden, it often leads to substantial changes in quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to assess illness acceptance among melanoma patients and examine its associations with selected clinical characteristics (disease stage, pruritus and time since diagnosis), psychological distress (depression and anxiety) and QoL. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2025 and February 2026 at two tertiary oncology centers in Poland. Initially, 191 consecutive melanoma patients were recruited, of whom 162 (58.6% men; mean age 59.8 ± 13.7 years) were included in the final analysis (response rate: 84.8%). Participants completed validated questionnaires assessing illness acceptance (Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS)), depression (PHQ-9, HADS-D), anxiety (GAD-7, HADS-A), and QoL (DLQI). Statistical analyses were performed, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The mean AIS score was 13.28 ± 7.50 points, indicating a remarkably low level of illness acceptance. In the multivariable linear regression analysis, greater depressive symptoms (HADS-D: β = −1.16, 95% CI −1.79 to −0.54; p < 0.001) and more advanced melanoma stage (β = −1.52, 95% CI −2.92 to −0.12; p = 0.034) were independently associated with lower illness acceptance. In addition, illness acceptance showed significant correlations with depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and dermatology-related QoL, whereas no significant associations were observed with most evaluated demographic and clinical variables. Conclusions: Patients with melanoma demonstrated remarkably low illness acceptance. Depressive symptoms and more advanced melanoma stage were independently associated with lower illness acceptance. These findings support the integration of psychological assessment into comprehensive melanoma care.

Background/Objectives: Patients with melanoma may experience depression and anxiety, but their relationship with dermatology-related quality of life (QoL) remains insufficiently characterized. This study assessed depressive and anxiety symptoms and their associations with QoL, sex, disease stage, and time since diagnosis. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 162 adults with histologically confirmed melanoma recruited consecutively at two Polish tertiary oncology centers. Participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Associations were examined using non-parametric tests and multivariable linear regression. Results: Positive screening rates were 8.8% for depression using PHQ-9 and 15.2% using HADS-D, and 19.1% for anxiety using GAD-7 and 27.4% using HADS-A. Women had higher PHQ-9, GAD-7, and HADS-A scores than men. All psychological measures correlated with DLQI scores (Spearman’s ρ = 0.328–0.414; all adjusted q < 0.001). In multivariable models, higher DLQI scores independently correlated with greater symptom severity across all four measures (all p ≤ 0.001). Female sex independently correlated with higher PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores, while younger age correlated with higher PHQ-9, GAD-7, and HADS-A scores. Neither melanoma stage nor time since diagnosis was independently associated with psychological symptoms. Conclusions: Depressive and anxiety symptoms are clinically relevant in melanoma and closely associated with poorer dermatology-related QoL. Psychological screening should not be limited to patients with advanced disease. Females and younger patients may warrant particular attention.