Hi Chloe,
I think that your proposal to study an intervention that targets pediatric dermatology patients in safety-net hospitals is an excellent idea. As you pointed out, it is already well-known in adults that atopic dermatitis leads to a greater risk of depression. I imagine that it would also have an significant impact on children's mental health, as you are investigating. I would be interested in comparing the results of such a study to other studies that examine interventions targeting other pediatric, non-dermatologic conditions (say, lupus). I would be curious to see if there were any diseases for which addressing social determinants did not significantly improve patient's health (both the disease of interest and mental health/depression). Other potential data points to collect in such studies would be patients' grades and/or their disciplinary record in school to see if the intervention also resulted in a change in these measures.
Carol
I think that your proposal to study an intervention that targets pediatric dermatology patients in safety-net hospitals is an excellent idea. As you pointed out, it is already well-known in adults that atopic dermatitis leads to a greater risk of depression. I imagine that it would also have an significant impact on children's mental health, as you are investigating. I would be interested in comparing the results of such a study to other studies that examine interventions targeting other pediatric, non-dermatologic conditions (say, lupus). I would be curious to see if there were any diseases for which addressing social determinants did not significantly improve patient's health (both the disease of interest and mental health/depression). Other potential data points to collect in such studies would be patients' grades and/or their disciplinary record in school to see if the intervention also resulted in a change in these measures.
Carol