INTRODUCTION: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that has a significant impact on the patients' quality of life due to recurrent episodes during their lives. Considering recent studies describing the association between psychological aspects and atopic dermatitis, it can be suggested that the search of a possible behavioral profile of children presenting AD may be of help in the development of specific psychotherapeutic interventions as well as it will increase knowledge on the disease. METHODOLOGY: This research aims at evaluating the social behavior profile of children with AD compared with others without the disease. In this case-control study, two groups aged 4 to 18 years old have been included; the study-group includes patients with atopic dermatitis who have been assisted at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA) and the control-group is composed of children and adolescents without AD enrolled at public schools in Porto Alegre. The estimated sample size was 25 individuals in each group. Data collection was accomplished with the Child Behavior Cheklist (CBCL), which was validated in Brazil as Inventário de Comportamento da Infância e Adolescência. RESULTS: Significant statistic differences were demonstrated in both global dimensions (internalizing and externalizing). Children with AD presented more symptoms related to anxiety, depression, thought alterations and aggressive behavior as compared to children without the disease. CONCLUSION: The results emphasize the need of interdisciplinary approaches in treating children with AD, comprising not only the dermatological but also the emotional aspects of the disease.
Atopic dermatitis; behavior; children; psychosomatic
