Features of the emotional sphere of children of primary school age with atopic dermatitis in comparison with children with type I diabetes mellitus and healthy children

<p><strong>Context and relevance.</strong> The study was conditioned by the need to develop effective measures for prevention and treatment of atopic dermatitis among primary school children. <strong>Materials and methods</strong>. The study sample included 78 primary school children aged 7–12 years and their mothers (n = 78). The experimental group (n = 28) included children diagnosed with atopic dermatitis (18 girls, 10 boys). Children without pathologies (n = 30, 18 girls, 12 boys) and children diagnosed with type I diabetes mellitus (n = 20, 10 girls, 10 boys) served as control groups. Methods: the self-esteem study technique "Ladder" (author S.G. Jacobson, modified by A.S. Fetisova, T.I. Suryaninova), the Manifest Anxiety Scale for Children (CMAS), the Child Depression Questionnaire (author M. Kovacs, adapted by S.V. Volikova, A.B. Kholmogorova). In the subgroup of mothers, the techniques for determining the level of child aggression (G.P. Lavrentyeva, T.M. Titarenko) and the questionnaire of child-parent interaction by E.I. Zakharova were used. <strong>Results.</strong> Children with atopic dermatitis were found to have higher rates of aggressive and depressive reactions compared to healthy children and children with type I diabetes mellitus, they are more likely to express emotional reactions in interpersonal relationships. Impaired self-esteem is found in all compared groups, but self-esteem disorders are significantly more common in groups of children with chronic diseases. In the group of children with atopic dermatitis, infantile self-esteem is significantly more common compared to children with type I diabetes and healthy children. The most severe self-esteem disorders are found in children with type I diabetes. Emotional relations in families with children with atopic dermatitis are characterized by a greater focus on the child's condition when organizing interactions and less physical contact. The emotional sphere of children with atopic dermatitis is determined by the nature of family relationships, the specific characteristics of the disease, and the child's self-esteem.</p>