Attitudes and behaviors of mothers of children with atopic dermatitis regarding the disease

SUMMARY MASTER THESIS ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS OF MOTHERS OF CHILDREN WITH ATOPIC DERMATITIS REGARDING THE DISEASE Sümeyra YILDIRIM Kırşehir Ahi Evran University Institute of Health Sciences Department of Nursing Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Kemal ÖZYURT Since atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic disease, the care of pediatric patients and the attitudes and behaviors of mothers regarding this issue play an important role. Mothers' knowledge, attitudes and behaviors may vary depending on their educational status. This descriptive study was conducted to examine the general knowledge about the disease and their attitudes and behaviors regarding AD of mothers of children diagnosed with AD in a secondary healthcare institution. The research was conducted between 01.11.2022- 01.06.2023 with the mothers of children diagnosed with AD between the ages of 0-18. The data were collected with an introductory information form prepared by the researchers, an information form on the exacerbating behavior of the baby/child, a survey form evaluating the mother's general knowledge about atopic dermatitis, and a questionnaire on understanding the mother's attitudes and behaviors regarding atopic dermatitis. In data analysis, descriptive statistics, Kolmogorov-Smirnov and ShapiroWilk tests were used for suitability to normal distribution, Kruskal Wallis test and Bonferroni test for multiple comparisons were used to compare categorical data, Pearson chi-square test and Fisher's Exact test were used to examine categorical data. The majority of the 120 mothers participating in the study are between the ages of 30-39 and have a bachelor's degree. When the answers to questions about "Mothers' attitudes and behaviors" were compared according to the educational status of the mother, it was determined that there was a statistical difference between the values. In line with the results of the study, personalized education planning and advanced research are recommended to examine the attitudes and behaviors of mothers of children with AD according to their education levels. September 2024, 64 Pages. Key words: Atopic dermatitis, chronic disease, attitude and behavior