title: Psychosocial stress and asthma morbidity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this review is to provide an overview and discussion of recent epidemiologic and mechanistic studies of stress in relation to asthma incidence and morbidity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recent findings suggest that stress, whether at the individual (i.e. epigenetics, perceived stress), family (i.e. prenatal maternal stress, early-life exposure, or intimate partner violence) or community (i.e. neighborhood violence; neighborhood disadvantage) level, influences asthma and asthma morbidity. Key recent findings regarding how psychosocial stress may influence asthma through Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, prenatal and postnatal maternal/caregiver stress, and community violence and deprivation are highlighted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  New research illustrates the need to further examine, characterize, and address the influence of social and environmental factors (i.e. psychological stress) on asthma. Further, research and innovative methodologies are needed to characterize the relationship and pathways associated with stress at multiple levels to more fully understand and address asthma morbidity, and to design potential interventions, especially to address persistent disparities in asthma in ethnic minorities and economically disadvantaged communities.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Family Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Yonas
authors.forename: Nancy E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Celedón
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D051381:Rats; D012923:Social Class; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*