The Psychosocial Impact of Atopic Dermatitis

• Published in: Advances in experimental medicine and biology Vol. 1447; p. 69
• Main Authors: Gochnauer, Heather, Valdes-Rodriguez, Rodrigo, Cardwell, Leah, Anolik, Rachel B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 2024
• Subjects: Cost of Illness; Dermatitis, Atopic - psychology; Humans; Quality of Life - psychology; Social Stigma; Surveys and Questionnaires; Chronic skin disease; Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI); Atopic dermatitis; Dermatology-Specific Quality-of-Life (DSQL); Quality-of-life; Stigma; Impacts on family; Coping strategies; Health-related quality-of-life; Psychosocial impacts; Dermatitis Family Index (DFI); Impacts on patients
• ISSN: 0065-2598
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-54513-9_7

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic skin condition that has significant psychosocial and quality-of-life impact. The condition causes physical discomfort, emotional distress, embarrassment, social stigma, and daily activity limitation. In an effort to assess these aspects of disease burden, quality-of-life measurement tools were developed. Through use of these tools, we have expanded our knowledge of the psychosocial and quality-of-life burden of this condition. A variety of quality of assessment tools exist, yet there is no consensus on which tool is best suited to assess the quality-of-life impact of atopic dermatitis. Research studies assessing quality-of-life in atopic dermatitis patients utilize a variety of quality-of-life measurement tools; this complicates comparisons across research studies. Though comparison across studies is difficult, the data echoes tremendous overall burden of disease, especially pertaining to psychosocial status and life quality.