REVIEW article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Social Pediatrics
This article is part of the Research TopicMental health and wellbeing of childrenView all 14 articles
When a Child Lives with Atopic Dermatitis: An Integrative Literature Review on Parental Experience
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
- 2Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
- 3Lab of Applied Psychology, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
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This integrative literature review, conducted with a systematic approach, examined how a child's atopic dermatitis affects parental functioning. Fifty-four studies have been reviewed, identifying the key impacts, including work absenteeism, reduced quality of life, increased distress, sleep deprivation, and challenges in parent-child relationships. These dimensions were grouped into three focuses: Parents as workers, individuals, and caregivers. The review found that atopic dermatitis often disrupts parents' careers, causes emotional strain, family burden, and sleep issues. Parent-child interactions may also be affected, potentially impacting the attachment bond. Overall, the findings highlighted the interconnected nature of parental experiences and stressed the need to consider all family members' perspectives. A systemic approach in clinical practice, policy, and research is crucial to better support parents managing their child's condition.
Keywords: atopic dermatitis, Eczema, Chronic Disease, Parent-child relationship, Parents asworkers, Parents as individuals, Parents as caregivers
Received: 08 Oct 2025; Accepted: 25 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Martis, Levante and Lecciso. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Chiara Martis
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