Exploration of the Influence of Factors Identified in the Literature on School-aged Children's Emotional Responses to Asthma

Approximately 6.3 million US children suffer from asthma. The purpose of this study was to explore factors on school-aged children's emotional responses to asthma, N = 85, ages 6-12. Correlations included Asthma related child emotional functioning QOL and (a) asthma severity, r = − 0.30, p < 0.01, (b) child internalizing behaviors, r = − 0.26, p < 0.05, (c) child externalizing behaviors r = − 0.43, p < 0.001; Caregiver emotional functioning QOL and (a) asthma severity, r = − 0.39, p < 0.001, (b) child internalizing behaviors, r = − 0.22, p < 0.05, (c) child externalizing behaviors, r = − 0.25; p < 0.05. Multiple regression analysis revealed that asthma severity and child externalizing problems accounted for 26% of the variance in asthma related child emotional functioning QOL, F (4, 79) = 7.051, p < 0.001 (asthma severity, β = − 0.31, p < 0.01; child externalizing problem behaviors, β = − 0.43, p < 0.001). Findings imply that asthma research should consider problem behaviors of school-aged children when addressing asthma related emotional functioning QOL.