title: Quality of Life in Families with Children with Atopic Dermatitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common childhood disease of increasing prevalence that not only changes the life of the affected children, but also affects the social and emotional functioning of their families.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of our study was to assess the quality of life (QOL) of parents with children with AD and its predictors.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred seventy-one parents of children with AD attending the outpatient Pediatric Dermatology Unit, Children's Hospital Zagreb, participated in the study. The severity of AD was estimated using the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index. Parents were asked to complete the Croatian version of the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI), the Patient-Oriented (PO) SCORAD, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and a general questionnaire during a regular follow-up visit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Family QOL is significantly correlated with the SCORAD score (correlation coefficient [r] = 0.578), PO SCORAD (r = 0.447), itching (r = 0.528), sleeplessness (r = 0.583), and PSS (r = 0.464). When these factors were entered into a regression analysis, they predicted as much as 67% of the variance of QOL (FDLQI), with significant predictors being PO SCORAD, PO sleeplessness, and PSS, and they remained significant even after controlling for a number of general and medical factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The severity of illness as perceived by dermatologists and parents is similar, and itching, sleeplessness, and perceived stress are strong QOL predictors of parents caring for children with AD.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital Zagreb, Medical School, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Nives
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pustišek
authors.affiliation: Centre for Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vurnek Živković
authors.affiliation: University Hospital Centre Sestre Milosrdnice, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Mirna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Šitum
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017523:Croatia; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult