Psychological factors associated with emergency room visits among asthmatic patients

This study was designed to investigate physiological and psychological characteristics of subjects with high-frequency emergency room (ER) visits. Asthma status, psychological functioning and predispositions, psychosocial adaptation to asthma, and health behaviors were measured for 30 patients who had two or more ER visits during the last 2 years. These subjects were matched for age, sex, and corticosteroid use with 30 subjects who had no unscheduled ER visits for the same period. No significant differences were found for measures of asthma status. Among the asthma-specific variables, the number of hyperventilation-bronchoconstriction symptoms did not distinguish between the groups. High attenders reported more panic-fear symptoms, lower self-efficacy, and more perceived interference. There were no differences for measures of anxiety/depression, self-focused attention, or health locus of control. However, these variables were found to be significant predictors of panic-fear symptoms, lower self-efficacy, and more perceived interference.