Strategies for coping with stress in mothers of children with atopic dermatitis - a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Our previous study showed that the severity of atopic dermatitis (AD) in children significantly correlates with the quality of life and perceived stress in their mothers. Aim: To compare strategies for coping with stress in mothers of children with and without AD, as well as to investigate the relationship between coping strategies of mothers of affected children and AD variables, stress intensity, and quality of life. Material and methods: The study included 88 mothers of children with AD and 57 mothers of children without AD as controls. The severity of skin lesions in children with AD was assessed by the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index, and skin itch was evaluated by the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). All mothers completed the sociodemographic questionnaire (SD), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced (COPE) scale. Additionally, mothers of children with AD filled out the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI). Results: There were no statistically significant differences in coping strategies between the groups. However, there were significant correlations between the selected coping strategies and AD severity, perceived stress of mothers, and quality of life of the entire family of affected children. Conclusions: Although mothers of children with AD experience higher levels of stress compared with mothers of children without AD, the disease does not change coping strategies. Psychological support for mothers of children with AD should be oriented toward strengthening cognitive coping strategies.

Perception of the activity-based working concept by bank's employees as a working condition.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the research was to explore the potential of the concept of work in the activity-based working (ABW) environment, including its impact on stress, back pain and psychomedical parameters of employees subjected to and not subject to relocation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The data of 396 employees of both sexes were analyzed. The study used standardized psychological questionnaires to measure the level of perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), the level of readiness for change (Readiness for Change Questionnaire), the severity of health behaviors (Health Behavior Inventory) and the level of general self-efficacy (General Self-Efficacy Scale). The set included questionnaires measuring the level of knowledge of occupational health and safety rules and the frequency of back pain. RESULTS: In the group of people whose workplace was moved to another building (in accordance with the concept), the relationship between the level of stress and selected variables: age, sense of generalized self-efficacy was checked. A significant negative correlation between the level of stress and age was confirmed (ρ = -0.16, p = 0.023), meaning a decrease in the level of stress with age. The level of stress correlated positively with the sense of efficacy (ρ = 0.21, p = 0.003), which means, the higher the sense of effectiveness, the higher the level of stress. In addition, it was confirmed that the level of stress in the group of people changing their location differed significantly from the general population. CONCLUSIONS: Work in the ABW concept can contribute to the improvement of interpersonal communication and facilitate the social integration of employees and better evaluation of work in this model. Work in concept has not been shown to be a protective factor against back pain in people with obesity. It was confirmed that in people relocated from traditional office to office in the concept, relocation was associated with stress, but also with a greater sense of self-efficacy. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(4):526-40.

Neuro-Immuno-Psychological Aspects of Chronic Urticaria.

Urticaria is a condition characterized by the development of itchy wheals (hives), angioedema, or both. The pathophysiology of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is still poorly understood. It is suggested that there is no dominant and independent mechanism of CSU; however, there are different immunological and non-immunological abnormalities that act simultaneously or/and follow each other resulting in clinical symptoms. The latest hypothesis points out that mast cells (MCs) to be activated via autoantibodies in autoallergic or autoimmune mechanism mediators released from degranulated MCs are responsible for the vasoactive and neurospecific effect in CSU. According to many clinical observations, it is suggested that psychological stress can be both a triggering factor in the onset of CSU and a modulating one in the course of the disease and therapy effectiveness. Of importance, the mechanistic background of the psychological stress response in the skin has not yet been fully elucidated. However, of note, a variety of inflammatory mediators, neuropeptides, and neurotransmitters facilitate this phenomenon. This review presents recent findings on the neuro-immuno-psychological aspects of CSU, highlighting an emerging role of neuro-immune interactions. It also points out the usefulness of psychological tools employment for the baseline diagnosis of perceived stress level and the presence of its symptoms. Furthermore, it proposes the implementation of non-invasive interventions to reduce psychological stress and anxiety. A bio-psycho-social approach including psychological support and patient education seems to be as important as traditional pharmacotherapy for CSU. It facilitates the effective control of active disease and a prolonged remission time in this disease.

Chronic Urticaria Treatment with Omalizumab-Verification of NLR, PLR, SIRI and SII as Biomarkers and Predictors of Treatment Efficacy.

Biomarkers that are able to predict the response to omalizumab (OMA) in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) are highly valued. The aim of our study was to evaluate the UAS7 (urticaria activity score assessed for 7 days), DLQI (dermatology life quality index), SII (systemic immune-inflammation index), SIRI (systemic inflammation response index), PLR (platelet/lymphocyte ratio) and NLR (neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio) in a group of 46 CSU a patients treated for 24 weeks with OMA (300 mg every 4 weeks). There were no statistically significant differences observed at the start nor at the end of the treatment between the two groups (responders vs. non-responders) and SII, SIRI, PLR and NLR. However, a statistically significant correlation was observed between severity of urticaria expressed in UAS7 scores and the quality of life (evaluated by DLQI). Furthermore, at week 24, both groups demonstrated significant improvement in quality of life. Our single center study did not confirm the usefulness of SII, SIRI, NLR or PLR as predictors of the response to OMA in CSU. However, it is of importance that even patients who did not respond to the treatment presented a significant improvement in quality of life. Additionally, we also observed that the efficacy of treatment was unchanged amongst patients who underwent a second series of treatment in cases of relapse.

The relationship between atopic dermatitis and atopic itch in children and the psychosocial functioning of their mothers: A cross-sectional study.

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease significantly affecting patients' and their parents' lives. Mothers are mostly responsible for the long-term treatment and their wellbeing is essential. The major objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship between atopic dermatitis in children, especially concomitant itch, and the quality of life, stress, sleep quality, anxiety, and depression of their mothers. The study included 88 mothers of children with atopic dermatitis and 52 mothers of children without atopic dermatitis. All mothers completed sociodemographic questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Athens Insomnia Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Additionally, mothers of children with atopic dermatitis filled in the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index. The severity of atopic dermatitis and pruritus intensity were evaluated by the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis Index and the Numerical Rating Scale, respectively. The severity of atopic dermatitis and itch significantly correlated with the quality of life, insomnia, and perceived stress of the mothers. Mothers whose children had had atopic dermatitis for more than 6 months had significantly higher scores of anxiety and depression. The results highlight the importance of screening mothers for functional impairment to provide adequate support. More attention should be directed to the standardization of stepped care interventions addressing factors resulting in the impaired functioning of mothers.