In my thesis I explore the challenges faced by parents of children with atopic dermatitis and what they want to improve their quality of life. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic disease that can upset a family's equilibrium. Parents with chronically ill children face many challenges in several areas. In the theoretical part, I describe the characteristics of atopic dermatitis and relate it to allergies. I also describe the treatment options and the characteristics of the disease in childhood. I then present the challenges that parents face. I divide them into the areas of physical, psychological, social and financial challenges. I continue the theoretical part by introducing the concept of resilience and place it in the context of building resilience in families where there is a diagnosis of chronic illness. I then describe what support parents want and what they are already receiving, and I place this in the Slovenian context. Finally, I conclude the theoretical part with a description of the role of social work in health care abroad and in Slovenia and a reflection on how, based on the literature, social work could be of help to parents of children with atopic dermatitis. In the empirical part, I present the results of my research, which I obtained by analysing interviews conducted with eight people who have a child with atopic dermatitis. I have found that parents face many challenges in the areas of mental and physical well-being, social life and finances. In the area of physical well-being, they are most burdened by insomnia, which is a result of caring for the child and preventing scratching at night. In the area of mental well-being, they are most often confronted with feelings of helplessness, guilt and self-blame. In the area of social life, the lack of understanding of the illness by those around them and the social isolation that results from it were challenging. In the area of finances, parents most often faced difficulties in accessing financial support, such as the childcare allowance for children in need of special care and protection. The most pressing challenges were the lack of information about treatment when a child is diagnosed, the lack of support from health professionals and the lack of information about the rights that parents can exercise. Parents most frequently mentioned the organization in which they are involved as a source of support, where they share experiences and information with their peers. On a relational level, they mentioned that family support means a lot to them. There were many ideas for improvement in this area, but in particular parents suggested leaflets to inform parents about the illness and their rights, and the involvement of doctors and other professionals to ensure holistic care for the person with the diagnosis and their family.
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