Asthma self-care: just another piece of school work

In the transition from childhood to adolescence, middle school children, aged 11 to 14 years, are becoming increasingly independent. For children who have asthma or other chronic illness, self-care for the condition becomes increasingly important. Cognitive social learning theory framed the questions asked and interpretations made of focus group data collected from 25 middle school children with asthma about their self-care behaviors. Data suggests that managing and preventing asthma episodes takes place in contexts defined by "powerful others" who can either facilitate or hinder self-care. Successful management of asthma reinforces middle school children's autonomy and growing independence. Although participants wanted and needed support during asthma attacks, they did not want to lose their autonomy. This study highlights the kinds of challenges children with asthma face.