DIFFERENCES IN YOUNG CHILDREN'S PROBLEM BEHAVIOR, PEER INTERACTION, AND SCHOOL READINESS ACCORDING TO THE PRESENCE OF ATOPIC DERMATITIS SYMPTOMS

Heejeon Suh

Early Childhood Education, Tongmyong University, Republic of Korea

ABSTRACT

This study examined whether there is a difference in children's psycho-social development variables according to the presence of children's atopic dermatitis symptoms, and analyzed the relationship among variables. This study aims to explore the differences in young children's problem behavior, peer interaction, and school readiness according to the presence of atopic dermatitis symptoms and to investigate the relationship among variables. A total of 1502 children whose are aged six years were considered as subject for this study out of which 232 children’s had atopic dermatitis symptoms and the remaining 1270 did not have this symptoms. The research instruments were used the children problem behavior scale, peer interaction scale, and school readiness scale. In the research results, it was found that the level of problem behavior internalization and externalization in the children with atopic dermatitis symptoms was higher than that of no-symptom children. Meanwhile, according to the presence or absence of atopic dermatitis symptoms, it was found that there was no difference between peer interaction and preschool school readiness. In addition, the externalization variable of the problem behavior of children with atopic dermatitis symptoms was found to have a negative effect on school readiness, and peer interaction was found to have a positive effect on school readiness. Children with symptoms of atopic dermatitis can be studied advance by taking this study as the basic data for guiding them also for coping the psychological developmental problem.

Keywords:

Atopic dermatitis, Internalization of problem behavior, Externalization of problem behavior, School readiness