Screening children with asthma for psychosocial adjustment problems: a tool for health care professionals.
OBJECTIVE
To develop a brief questionnaire for health care professionals to use in screening children with asthma for psychosocial adjustment problems.


METHODS
The initial version of the Childhood Asthma Resiliency Questionnaire (CARQ) listed 85 items focusing on self-esteem, medical fears, peer relationships, family relations, stress, and depression. The number of items was reduced after focus groups and pilot testing. In pilot tests, 100 children with asthma completed the CARQ. Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Another sample of 73 children with mild asthma was also obtained.


RESULTS
The total CARQ score was significantly correlated (p < 0.001) with Total Problems, Internalizing, and Externalizing Problems on the CBCL. Children with more hospitalizations and more days of school missed from asthma had significantly higher scores on the CARQ compared to children with less functional morbidity.


CONCLUSIONS
The CARQ appears to be a useful brief measure to help clinicians identify children at risk for problems adjusting to asthma.
Gupta
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Departments of Psychology and Pediatrics, Alberta Children's Hospital, and the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. swapna.gupta@calgaryhealthregion.ca
Crawford
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SG
Mitchell
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D000041:Absenteeism; D000275:Adjustment Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005195:Family Relations; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D010379:Peer Group; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D012803:Sick Role; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires