title: [The degree of asthma severity in children and the level of maternal anxiety and depression].
abstract: Care for sick children most often falls to mothers, which may affect their mental state, causing the states of depression and anxiety.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the severity of asthma in children and the level of anxiety and depression in mothers, taking into account the importance of the material status of the family, the educational level of the mothers, the presence of critical events, as well as the coexistence of allergic diseases in other family members.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 60 mothers of children with bronchial asthma. Age of mothers in the investigated families was on average 37.28 +/- 6.24 years, and most had a high school education (55.0%) or higher (28.3%). 16.7% of mothers and 8.3% fathers suffered from asthma. 13.3% of mothers of children with asthma were brought child alone. To assess the level of anxiety the inventory for measuring state and trait anxiety (STAI - State Trait Anxiety Inventory) developed by Spielberger, Gorsuch'a and Lushene'a was applied. To determine the changes in depressive the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI - Beck Depression Inventory questionnaire) was used. The Student's t test was included for two independent populations and a comparison of the results obtained in the questionnaire for diagnosing the level of anxiety and depression. For other parameters the correlation coefficient r-Pearson rank and Kendall's tau were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mothers of children with moderate asthma compared to mothers of children with mild asthma had higher levels of anxiety (both state and properties), and also a slightly higher level of depression. Maternal age was connected positively and moderately strongly with the number held by children (r = 0.380; p = 0.003) and age of a child with asthma (r = 0.613, p = 0.0005). The duration of the child's disease was associated positively and moderately strongly with the level of state anxiety mother (X-1) (r = 0.345; p = 0.007) and a bit less and also positively with the levels of depression (r = 0.227; p = 0.081). Maternal age (r = -0.428; p = 0.018) and the number of children held by them (r = -0.365; p = 0.047) were correlated moderately strongly and negatively with their level of state anxiety (X-1). Very strong and positive relationship links the level of trait anxiety (X-2) mothers with their levels of depression (r = 0.729; p = 0.0005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study revealed that there is a relationship between the severity of asthma in children and felt by the mother's level of anxiety. Not confirmed suspicions that the level of depression in mothers depends on the severity of asthma in children. The structure of the relationship between maternal anxiety and depression and other characteristics was analyzed in the work differs between groups. Analyzed the relationship between the family situation and other variable factors and the severity of asthma in children have not been confirmed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Christian Philosophy, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Urszula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Witkowska-Płusa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001249:Asthma / Q000145:classification* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005192:Family Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: anxiety; depression; mothers of sick children with asthma