Effectiveness of an integrative body-mind-spirit group intervention in improving the skin symptoms and psychosocial well-being in children living with atopic dermatitis: A randomized-waitlisted controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: The symptomatology of atopic dermatitis (AD) imposes heavy physical, psychological, and social burdens on children, yet their psychosocial needs have been commonly ignored in AD management. Evidence of the psychosocial effects of psychosocial interventions on childhood AD is thin. The present study aimed to examine the effects of a customized Integrative Body-Mind-Spirit (IBMS) group intervention on physical, psychological, and social outcomes for children with AD. Methods: A randomized-waitlisted controlled trial was conducted. Children of primary-school age who had been diagnosed with AD and their parents were recruited. Parent-child dyads were randomized to either the IBMS group or waitlisted controlled (WLC) group. Children and their parents attended six three-hour sessions incorporating treatment components based on the IBMS intervention model. The group intervention was conducted in parallel format that the children and parents attended independently of each other. Outcome measures included the severity of AD, generalized and social anxiety symptoms, emotion regulation, self-esteem, quality of relationships with parents, and dermatology-specific quality of life (QoL) at pre-intervention (T0), post-intervention (T1) and 5-weeks post-intervention (T2). Results: Data from 58 children in the IBMS group and 55 children in the WLC group were analyzed. There were no differences in baseline measures. Children in the IBMS group displayed significant decrease in severity of AD, generalized anxiety and social phobia, and improvement in emotion regulation as compared with the WLC group. No significant difference in self-esteem, quality of relationships with parents, or dermatology-specific QoL between the two groups was found. Conclusion: With a rigorously designed evaluation, the study found that the IBMS parallel-group intervention based on a holistic perspective and Eastern philosophies on health and well-being was effective in improving skin symptoms and psychosocial well-being among 6–12-year old children living with AD. Future research needs to customize this IBMS intervention to other developmental stages of children with AD in other geographical contexts so as to benefit wider populations.