A total of 23 children with atopic eczema and 13 control children suffering from non-atopic dermatological disorders were studied. For children between 8 and 14 years the "Hamburg neuroticism and extraversion scale for children and adolescents" (HANES-KJ) was used. In this test no statistically significant differences were observed between children with atopic eczema and children with other dermatological disorders. The mothers and fathers of atopic children were examined for personality profiles using the "Freiburger personality inventory" (FPI). In the FPI, mothers of children with atopic eczema were shown to be less "spontaneous", more "under control" and less "emotional" than the normal population. The fathers of atopic children showed now significant differences compared with the normal population; however, there was a trend towards increased "irritability". In a comparison of FPI profiles within couples with atopic children, mothers showed less "somatic emotional response" in the FPI profile, while the feature "emotional control" was more prominent in the mothers as compared with the respective fathers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)