Anxiety is more common in children with asthma

Abstract

Children with asthma are substantially more likely to suffer anxiety than children without asthma. Future studies are required to determine the sequence of events that leads to this comorbidity, and to test strategies to prevent and treat anxiety among children with asthma.

Asthma and psychological dysfunction

“…This relationship was present within the different countries and ethnic groups surveyed. Similar cross-sectional relationships between asthma and psychological dysfunction have been reported in a paediatric survey using a validated questionnaire, the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale, 17 and in a prospective birth cohort study of over 1,000 children using standard clinical diagnostic criteria for asthma and for psychiatric conditions. 18 A UK primary care survey published in 2007 using the validated Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) reported higher anxiety and depression scores in adults with physician-diagnosed asthma than in the general community, particularly in patients aged >45 years, and a prevalence of panic disorder of 16% in those with asthma.…”

“…Crosssectional surveys consistently report higher levels of psychological morbidity (both in terms of average scores on metric scales of anxiety and depression and of the proportion of individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for these conditions) in people with asthma compared with the general population. 7,[15][16][17] These surveys have used a variety of well accepted methods such as structured diagnostic interviews or validated screening questionnaires to diagnose anxiety and depression. Asthma is generally defined by physician diagnosis based on standard clinical diagnostic criteria.…”

Changes Over Time in Reducing Developmental and Behavioral Comorbidities of Asthma in Children

“…Frequent albuterol treatments can promote hyperactivity. Conversely, anxiety, depression, and poor psychological adjustment are common among children with asthma 14,15 and can lead to noncompliance with asthma therapies and thus to poor control. 16 The key, therefore, to limiting the negative impact of asthma on development and behavior is control of symptoms: medically, psychologically, and socially.…”

Attentional bias to respiratory- and anxiety-related threat in children with asthma

“…Indeed, research has consistently found a positive relationship between childhood asthma and anxiety (Bussing, Burket, & Kelleher, 1996;Katon et al, 2007;Vuillermin et al, 2010). More specifically, researchers have considered the different types of anxiety disorders related to asthma; however, there have been mixed results, with no definite anxiety disorder relating to asthma.…”

“…More specifically, researchers have considered the different types of anxiety disorders related to asthma; however, there have been mixed results, with no definite anxiety disorder relating to asthma. For example, childhood asthma has been associated with panic (Goodwin, Pine, & Hoven, 2003), generalised anxiety, obsessions, compulsions and panic (Vuillermin et al, 2010), and social phobia (Katon et al, 2007). A recent article emphasised the strong relationship between asthma and anxiety, and suggested that amongst other explanations, anxiety could be secondary to living with the stress of a chronic health condition (Goodwin, Bandiera, Steinberg, Ortega, & Feldman, 2012).…”