Abstract
INTRODUCTION
To examine family functioning, psychopathology, quality of life in children and adolescents diagnosed with alopecia areata (AA), and to investigate the relationship between sociodemographic and disease-related variables.
METHODS
45 patients from 2 to 18 years of age were examined retrospectively. The Family Assessment Device (FAD), the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), the Children Depression Inventory (CDI) and the sociodemographic data sheet were used. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 18.0 software.
RESULTS
Of the subjects assessed, the mean age was 9.22±3.79 and 55.6% were female. The FAD affective involvement and behaviour control subscales demonstrated impairment in the entire case group (>2). 42.2% of the cases received at least one psychiatric diagnosis. Presence of psychiatric comorbidity caused impairment in all the subscales of depression, FAD general functioning, parental quality of life psychosocial health, and pediatric quality of life. A psychosocial trigger incident was detected in 51.1% of the cases. In cases, however, where no trigger incident was detected, CDI and PedsQL showed significant impairment in all the subscales (p<0.05). Lesion intensity was found positively associated only with the number of attacks and duration of the disease.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Family functioning in AA patients is impaired in the subscales of affective involvement and behaviour control. Although psychosocial trigger incidents are common in AA, they may not be associated with psychopathology, quality of life and family functioning. Psychiatric comorbidity emerged as the factor which impaired the quality of life most.
Keywords: Alopecia areata, family functioning, quality of life, psychopathology, child and adolescent
Keywords: Alopecia areata, family functioning, quality of life, psychopathology, child and adolescent
