title: Anxiety and asthma symptoms in urban adolescents with asthma: the mediating role of illness perceptions.
abstract: Twenty to 40% of adolescents with asthma experience significant symptoms of anxiety. This study examined the mediational role of illness perceptions in the relationship between anxiety and asthma symptoms in adolescents. One hundred fifty-one urban adolescents (ages 11-18) with asthma completed measures of illness perceptions, and anxiety and asthma symptoms. Using the Baron and Kenny approach and Sobel tests, we examined whether illness perceptions mediated the anxiety-asthma symptom relationship. Three illness perceptions significantly mediated the relationship between anxiety and asthma symptoms, z = 1.97-2.13, p < .05; adjusted R(2) = 0.42-0.51, p < .05. Greater anxiety symptoms were associated with perceptions that asthma negatively impacted one's life and emotions and was difficult to control. These negative illness perceptions were, in turn, related to greater asthma symptoms. Illness perceptions helped explain the anxiety-asthma symptoms link in adolescents. Results suggest that targeting illness perceptions in adolescents with asthma and anxiety may help reduce asthma symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA. mcgradmn@mail.uc.edu
authors.forename: Meghan E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: McGrady
authors.forename: Sian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cotton
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.forename: Yvonne Humenay
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Britto
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Yi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*