Intervention models on psycho-social health in families with an asthmatic child.
Despite an increase in the prevalence of asthma during the last few decades, the need for hospital treatment of children with asthma has become less. One reason for this is that children and their parents are now more involved in the treatment of the disease, and responsibility has been shifted from the medical care system to the family. This new responsibility may cause increased psycho-social tension within the family. We conducted a pilot study on three limited methods of intervention to find the best way to help families in this respect. All three methods (individual family meetings, family group meetings, and evaluation of the child's environment in school) reduced the psychosocial burden of having a child with asthma. This indicates that families should be supported by being given the opportunity to participate in meetings to discuss the disease or to have the environment in the child's school evaluated, in addition to receiving regular medical care.
Gustafsson
D
D
Department of Paediatrics, Orebro Medical Center Hospital, Sweden. dan.gustafsson@orebroll.se
Olofsson
N
N
Andersson
F
F
Lindberg
B
B
Schollin
J
J
D001249:Asthma / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D004777:Environment; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects