Hospitalization, life change and ability to cope with asthma

The relationship between hospitalization, recent life change, ability to cope with asthma and asthma severity was investigated in 51 hospitalized and nonhospitalized chronic asthmatics. Hospitalization correlated highly with severity of asthma, marginally with low ability to cope with asthma, and highly with life changes due to asthma. Hospitalization did not correlate with asthma-independent life change scores. These results confirm that life stresses cluster prior to exacerbations of asthma, but in this population, the asthma itself appears to cause that clustering, especially in persons with limited ability to cope with the disease.