Resilience as a protective factor for the behavioral problems in school-aged children with atopic dermatitis

This study investigates the relationships between resilience and behavioral problems in school-aged children with atopic dermatitis (AD) and identifies factors associated with these behavioral problems. A total of 102 school-aged children suffering from chronic AD were administered a self-report questionnaire on resilience, and the Korean version of the Child Behavior Checklist, to measure their internalizing/externalizing behavioral problems. The means of the internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems of children with AD were 6.58 and 7.26, respectively. Both resilience and economic status were negatively correlated with the internalizing, r = -0.262, p < 0.05, and externalizing, r = -0.248, p < 0.05, behaviors in children. The higher the children's school achievements, the less externalizing behavioral problems were reported, r = -0.327, p < 0.05. Resilience was identified as the single potent variable affecting children's behavioral problems. The higher the children's resilience scores, the lower was the chance of both internalizing, = -1.648, p = 0.034, and externalizing behavioral problems, = -1.382, p = 0.041. To prevent possible behavioral problems in children with chronic AD, a care plan enhancing their resilience (i.e. promoting parenting skills and social supports for children) should be developed.