Expressed emotion and airway conductance in children with bronchial asthma

Fourteen asthmatic children (ages 9-11) and their controls were exposed to a stress inducing competitive achievement situation. Facial expression of emotions were systematically analyzed from video-recordings, and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) reduction was measured from pre-stress to post-stress. The asthmatic children showed a significantly lower frequency and duration of overall emotional expression than their controls. Specifically, the frequency and duration of expressed anger/rage, enjoyment/joy, and surprise/startle were lower in the asthmatic children. Moreover, duration of overall expressed emotion showed a significant negative correlation with PEFR reduction in the asthmatic group, indicating a relevant relationship between facial expression of emotions and breathing function.