Strategies for coping with stress in mothers of children with atopic dermatitis – a cross-sectional study

Introduction:
Our previous study showed that the severity of atopic dermatitis (AD) in children significantly correlates with the quality of life and perceived stress in their mothers.

Aim:
To compare strategies for coping with stress in mothers of children with and without AD, as well as to investigate the relationship between coping strategies of mothers of affected children and AD variables, stress intensity, and quality of life.

Material and methods:
The study included 88 mothers of children with AD and 57 mothers of children without AD as controls. The severity of skin lesions in children with AD was assessed by the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index, and skin itch was evaluated by the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). All mothers completed the sociodemographic questionnaire (SD), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced (COPE) scale. Additionally, mothers of children with AD filled out the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI).

Results:
There were no statistically significant differences in coping strategies between the groups. However, there were significant correlations between the selected coping strategies and AD severity, perceived stress of mothers, and quality of life of the entire family of affected children.

Conclusions:
Although mothers of children with AD experience higher levels of stress compared with mothers of children without AD, the disease does not change coping strategies. Psychological support for mothers of children with AD should be oriented toward strengthening cognitive coping strategies.