0000000000073764
AUTHOR
James Y. Paton
Positive experiences and the relationship between stress and asthma in children
Ninety children aged 6 to 13 y and suffering from chronic asthma were included in a prospective follow-up study lasting 18 mo in order to assess whether life events involving substantial positive effects on the child can protect against the increased risk associated with stressful life events. The main outcome measures included positive life events, positive long-term experiences, severely negative life events, chronic psychosocial stress and new asthma exacerbation. The results showed that, provided they occurred in close proximity to severely negative life events, positive life events, generally related to the child's own achievements, afforded protection against the increased risk of a n…
The role of acute and chronic stress in asthma attacks in children.
Background: High levels of stress have been shown to predict the onset of asthma in children genetically at risk, and to correlate with higher asthma morbidity. Our study set out to examine whether stressful experiences actually provoke new exacerbations in children who already have asthma.Methods: A group of child patients with verified chronic asthma were prospectively followed up for 18 months. We used continuous monitoring of asthma by the use of diaries and daily peak-flow values, accompanied by repeated interview assessments of life events and long-term psychosocial experiences. The key measures included asthma exacerbations, severely negative life events, and chronic stressors.Findin…