title: Children with bronchial asthma assessed for psychosocial problems in a teaching hospital in Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Paediatric bronchial asthma causes respiratory related mortality and morbidity globally and elevates the risk of psychological and social problems (psychosocial problems); which may result in poorer asthma control. The rate of and associated factors for psychosocial problems among our asthmatic children was assessed in this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy five (75) children aged 7 to 14 years with bronchial asthma who were attending clinics at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria, were assessed with Child behaviour questionnaire and a semi-structured questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Probable psychological morbidity was present in 25% of the children. The most frequently reported social impairments associated with the disease were: interference with play (60%), domestic work (49%), fear of dying anytime (29%) and feeling of being a burden on the family (25%). Psychological morbidity was significantly associated with lower maternal education (p=0.020) and occupation (p=0.038), polygamy (p=0.012), fathers having more than 5 children (p=0.027) and mothers having inadequate spousal support (p=0.012). Inadequate spousal support and lower maternal occupational level were the significant predictors of morbidity following logistic regression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Routine psychosocial assessment and care for children with asthma needs to be introduced into our clinics to help protect them and their families from avoidable suffering.
authors.affiliation: University of Ilorin/University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Department of Behavioural Sciences.
authors.forename: Mosunmola Florence
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Tunde-Ayinmode
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Bronchial asthma; Nigeria; psychosocial problems; teaching hospital