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Association of depressive symptoms and disease activity in children with asthma: methodological and clinical

James Waxmonsky1, Beatrice L Wood2, Trudy Stern2

  • 1Drs. Waxmonsky, Wood, Cramer-Benjamin, and Miller and Ms. Stern are with the Department of Psychiatry, Dr. Ballow is with the Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Lillis is with the Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, and Dr. Mador is with the Departments of Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo..

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
|July 26, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Depressive symptoms are common in inner-city children with asthma. Self-reported depression strongly correlates with asthma activity, highlighting the need for integrated mental health care.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition affecting children, often linked to environmental and socioeconomic factors.
  • Mental health comorbidities, particularly depression, can significantly impact chronic illness management and outcomes in pediatric populations.
  • Understanding the interplay between asthma activity and depressive symptoms is crucial for comprehensive patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms in children presenting with asthma exacerbations.
  • To investigate the association between the severity of depressive symptoms and asthma activity.
  • To explore the influence of parental depression on child's asthma and depression.

Main Methods:

  • Recruitment of 129 children (ages 7-17) from a hospital emergency department for asthma symptoms.
  • Assessment of asthma disease activity using National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute guidelines.
  • Evaluation of child and parental emotional status via self-, parent-, and clinician-reported measures.

Main Results:

  • A significant prevalence of clinically relevant depressive symptoms was observed in 26% of children and 43% of mothers.
  • Self-reported depressive symptoms in children showed a stronger correlation with asthma activity (r=0.25) compared to clinician (r=0.14) or parent reports (r=0.12/0.18).
  • Parental depressive symptoms correlated with child's depression scores but not directly with their asthma activity.

Conclusions:

  • Depressive symptoms are prevalent and significantly associated with asthma activity in urban pediatric asthmatic populations.
  • Self-reported depressive symptoms in children are a more sensitive indicator of asthma activity than other assessment methods.
  • Findings underscore the importance of screening for and addressing depression in children with asthma, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
Abstract

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