Study: Mental Disorder Risk Higher in Pediatric Patients with AD

Investigators in a recent study aimed to determine which mental disorders affect pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and compare it with the risk of their siblings without a skin condition.

In a cross-sectional, prospective study, theyused a risk assessment instrument for mental disorders in pediatric patients with AD vs their siblings from September 2016 to June 2018. The evaluation instrument used to assess the risk of mental disordersin AD patients was the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney, Pearson's χ2 test with Yates correction and Fisher's exact test were used, considering a significance level of 5%, the article continued.

It was found thatthe risk of mental disorders in pediatric patients with AD was 63%compared to 36% in the healthy siblings (p < .01). There was also a greater risk forpatients with AD to experiencesleep problems, thought problems, and somatic complaints when compared to their siblings. Parental concerns on socialization and bullying were also more frequent for participants with AD when compared to siblings.

“Children and adolescents with AD present a high risk of [mental disorders], and their healthy siblings also present impairment in their mental health” the authors concluded.“In both cases, this impairment is higher than the one expected in the Brazilian general pediatric population (24.6%) and global pediatric population (22.4%).”

Reference:

Muzzolon M, Muzzolon SRB, Lima M, Canato M, Carvalho VO. Mental disorders and atopic dermatitis in children and adolescents. Postepy Dermatol Alergol. 2021;38(6):1099-1104. doi:10.5114/ada.2021.112280