The experiences of mothers caring for a child with severe atopic eczema

Abstract

Atopic eczema is a relatively common disease which frequently occurs during childhood. This paper reports the findings of a research study which explored the effects upon family life of caring for a child with severe atopic eczema. Seventy-seven accounts written by mothers of preschool children with this disease were analysed using qualitative latent content analysis. The focus of this paper is on the implications of the disease for the mothers' role and the additional work generated by the disease. The implications of these findings for nursing practice, in particular the work of health visitors and paediatric community nurses, is discussed. Throughout this paper the term 'nurse' is used to describe both nurses and health visitors.

Italian Validation of the Childhood Atopic Dermatitis Impact Scale: A Contribution to Its Clinical Application

“…The onset of the disease in the first years of life (Kay et al, 1994) implies an impact on the emotional, economical, physical, and social well-being of the whole family (Balkrishnan et al, 2003;Mozaffari et al, 2007;Chamlin and Chren, 2010). Taking care of a child with AD, in fact, entails an extra work for parents, tied to the daily care and treatment of the child (Elliott and Luker, 1997); many studies have evidenced how the whole family is influenced in terms of lower social support, higher stress tied to one's own parental role, and greater difficulties in managing discipline (Daud et al, 1993;Ricci et al, 2007;Monti et al, 2011).…”

International development of the Parents’ Index of Quality of Life in Atopic Dermatitis (PIQoL-AD)

“…The disease can have considerable impact on the child and his/her development [2,3]. Furthermore, the effects are not limited to the child but extend to the entire family [4][5][6].…”

Quality of life of children with atopic dermatitis and their families

“…Consequently, the disease often has a major impact on the child and his/her development [2,3]. In addition, the child is not the only person affected, as the well being of the entire family is likely to be disrupted [4][5][6].…”