Atopi̇c Dermati̇ti̇s as a Cause of Impari̇ed Quali̇ty of Li̇fe İn Chi̇ldren and Maternal Anxi̇ety and Depressi̇on Symptoms

Abstract

Aim: Atopic dermatitis (AD), a chronic inflammatory skin condition which can cause severe psychosocial problems. We aimed to assess the connection between qaulity of life in children wiith atopic dermatitis and maternal anxiety and depression symptoms. Methods: This study was prospective and was conducted at our Pediatric Allergy outpatient department. Atopic dermatitis severity was assessed using the SCORAD score. The mothers were asked to fill in the State-Trait Anxiety Scales (STAI-1, STAI-2) and Beck Depression Scale during the outpatient visit for the child. For children unders four years of age, the mothers were asked to fill in the 10 item infant dermatitis quality of life (IDQL) questionnaire. For children aged four and older, one of the researcher assisted the child to fill in the 10 item quality of life scale (CDLQI). At one-month follow-up, STAI-1 and STAI-2 and Beck Depression Scale were administered again as well as the IDQL or CDLQI depending on the age of the child. . Results: 90 mother-child pairs were enrolled. According to the SCORAD index, at enrollement 10 cildren had mild, 62 chldren had moderate and 18 children had severe disease and this regressed to mild disease for all children at one-month follow up. (p<0.001). According to the SCORAD index, there was a significant relationship between the quality of life of children and their mothers' depression evaluations. According to the Beck Depression Scale, 69 mothers had minimal and 11 mothers had mild, depression whil 1 had severe depression. With the improvement of the SCORAD index, a significant improvement was observed in the maternal Beck Depression Scale score. Similarly, STAI-1 and STAI-2 scores alse improved (p<0.001) Conclusion: Both the quality of life scores of the chldren and maternal anxiety and depression scores are associatd with disease severity.