Expression of emotion in asthmatic children and their mothers

The present study assessed how general asthmatic children's deficit in the facial expression of emotion is that we found in previous studies. Furthermore, the emotional behavior of the patients' mothers was explored. Eighteen children with bronchial asthma (ages 7.6 to 12.6), and eighteen control children were subjected to two frustrating achievement situations. They had to solve a difficult puzzle under time pressure by themselves, and with the verbal assistance of their healthy mothers. Facial expressions of emotion and heart rate were recorded from children and mothers. No deficit in emotion expression was observed in the asthmatic group. To the contrary, asthmatic children showed more expressions of anger/aggression and emotion expressions in total during the last phase of the 'child alone' condition. Moreover, in both experimental conditions they showed more unspecified facial movements than control children. Mothers of asthmatic children expressed more happiness than their controls. Heart rate data did not differentiate between target and control groups during any phase of the experiment. These findings counter psychodynamically based assumptions on emotional behavior of asthmatics and their mothers.