title: Temperament and stress coping styles in bronchial asthma patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Temperament, defined as the formal characteristics of behavior, is a personality trait which can influence the clinical presentation and course of bronchial asthma. It determines susceptibility to stress as well as stress coping styles.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to assess whether healthy subjects differ from bronchial asthma patients with regard to temperamental variables and stress coping styles, and whether these factors may also differentiate patients with severe asthma from those with the milder form. The study also assesses whether the results of flow volume curve analysis correlate with temperamental traits and stress coping styles.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted in a group of 65 asthma patients and 62 healthy controls. All underwent flow volume curve examination and psychological tests: Formal Characteristics of Behavior - Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI) and Coping in Stress Situations (CISS) questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bronchial asthma patients were characterized by a lower level of briskness ("agility") than healthy subjects (13.35 ±4.48 vs. 14.97 ±3.98,p= 0.031). The remaining temperamental traits and stress coping styles did not differ between the groups. Additionally, the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) value was found to correlate negatively with the intensity of the emotion-oriented stress coping style, whereas FEV1and forced vital capacity (FVC) were found to positively correlate with briskness, emotional reactivity and endurance, while a negative correlation was found with activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Briskness differentiates healthy subjects from bronchial asthma patients. The values obtained in FEV1and FVC pulmonary function tests were also found to correlate with some temperamental variables.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Asthma and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Panek
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Asthma and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kuna
authors.affiliation: Sub-Department of Psychology, Institute of Pedagogical Sciences, Faculty of Social Science, Piotrków Trybunalski Branch, Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Kielce, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Witusik
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Radosław
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wujcik
authors.affiliation: Department of General Pneumology and Oncology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antczak
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Tadeusz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pietras
keywords: asthma; stress coping; temperament