title: Asthma patients and their partners: gender differences in the relationship between psychological distress and patient functioning.
abstract: This study investigated gender differences in the association between partners' psychological functioning, and patients' perceptions of health functioning and healthcare utilization. Participants were 50 couples in which one person had mild to moderate asthma. Patients and partners completed several questionnaires. Male patients reported significantly greater psychological distress and utilized fewer physician services than female patients. Furthermore, female patients' perceptions of health functioning and their physician utilization were negatively affected by their partners' psychological distress. The findings suggest a need for an interdisciplinary approach to asthma management and the possible inclusion of partners in treatment, especially for female patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Internal Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle 98104, USA. afari@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Afari
authors.forename: K B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Schmaling
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D012747:Sexual Partners; D013315:Stress, Psychological