Impaired parental quality of life (QOL) may be associated with increasing severity of alopecia areata and age of affected child but not duration of disease, a recent study found. Therefore, providers should tailor counseling accordingly and help parents set realistic expectations for long-term experience with the disease. Pediatric patient (n=153) and their parents were invited to participate during clinic visits. Participating parents completed the Quality of Life in a Child’s Chronic Disease Questionnaire (QLCCDQ) and the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI). A subset of children completed the Children’s Dermatologic Life Quality Index (CDLQI). Severity of alopecia tool (SALT) scores at time of survey completion were recorded. Researchers found:

• Significant mild to moderate negative correlations were found between SALT scores and FDLQI scores, QLCCDQ scores, and QLCCDQ emotional domain scores.
• Age of child correlated negatively with QLCCDQ scores but not FDLQI scores.
• No significant correlation was found between duration of disease and FDLQI scores, QLCCDQ scores, or QLCCDQ emotional domain scores