Illness perceptions and atopic dermatitis severity
Positive correlations between AD severity and illness perceptions indicated that when AD was more severe, caregivers were more likely to believe that their child’s AD was chronic, had greater consequences on the child and their family, had a greater emotional impact and more symptoms were experienced and attributed to the AD. Negative correlations between AD severity and some illness perceptions indicated that when AD was less severe, caregivers had a better understanding of their child’s condition and were confident in their ability to control the AD. Timeline cyclical (whether the AD re-occurs) did not correlate significantly with any other variable.