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Parental perceptions and attitudes toward asthma and its treatment: a controlled study
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|January 1, 1987
Summary
Parents of children with asthma and control parents share concerns about asthma's impact. However, control parents exhibit greater pessimism regarding asthma's effects on family life, while both groups show ambivalence towards medication compliance.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Psychology of Chronic Illness
- Family Health
Background:
- Parental perceptions significantly influence childhood asthma management.
- Understanding these perceptions is crucial for improving treatment adherence and family well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare parental attitudes towards childhood asthma between families with asthmatic children and control families.
- To identify specific areas of concern and concordance in parental perceptions.
Main Methods:
- Comparative study involving 128 parents of asthmatic children and 110 control parents.
- Attitudinal assessment focusing on the impact of asthma on children, family lifestyle, relationships, and medication compliance.
Main Results:
- Both groups perceived asthma negatively, but control parents were more pessimistic about its impact on children and family life.
- Parents in both groups expressed ambivalence towards medication compliance, acknowledging benefits but fearing long-term effects.
- Concordance was observed in willingness to give up pets but not smoking for the child's health.
Conclusions:
- Parental pessimism about asthma's impact varies between asthmatic and control groups.
- Shared concerns regarding medication side effects highlight a potential barrier to adherence.
- Physician awareness of these parental perceptions could enhance medication compliance in childhood asthma.