THE EXPERIENCE OF STUDYING QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADOLESCENTS WITH CHRONIC DERMATOSES

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the quality of life (QL) of adolescents aged 13–18
years, suffering from chronic dermatoses of mild and moderate form. The adapted Russian version
of the General questionnaire PedsQL 4.0 (Pediatric Quality of Life Questionnare) was used for this
purpose. The results showed that all components of QL in adolescents with chronic skin diseases are
significantly lower than in healthy peers; in all skin diseases subjective experiences are brought to
the foreground. The quality of life in adolescents with chronic dermatological pathology was found
to be influenced by factors such as gender and nosology. In addition, the data of the questionnaire
allowed to «see» the system of psychological protection of the teenager. Skin diseases, not causing a
real threat to vital needs, have a significant impact on the self-consciousness of the patient, especially
a teenager, because often the defeat captures such an important organ of interpersonal communication
as a person’s face. The study of QOL of children opens up the possibility of a comprehensive
analysis of the child’s condition, allows along with objective medical information take into account
the opinion of teenager about his well-being, which may differ from the opinion of the attending
physician. Thus the assessment of QOL made by the patient himself is a valuable and reliable indicator
of his general condition.