title: Emotionally triggered asthma and its relationship to panic disorder, ataques de nervios, and asthma-related death of a loved one in Latino adults.
abstract: Research has demonstrated high comorbidity between asthma and panic disorder (PD). Less is known about the relationship between asthma and the Latino cultural idiom of distress of ataques de nervios, as well as the role that psychosocial stressors play. The current study tested the hypotheses that Latino asthma patients who experience PD, ataques de nervios, and/or asthma-related death of a loved one endorse greater psychological triggers of asthma, greater perceived impact of asthma triggers, and greater difficulty controlling such triggers than do those without these conditions.
  
  
  
  Data originated from an interview conducted prior to a randomized controlled trial in which 292 Latino adults with self-reported asthma were recruited from outpatient clinics in the Bronx, NY. The PRIME-MD Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) was used to screen for PD symptoms, while the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I) was used to confirm diagnosis of PD. Lifetime history of ataques de nervios and asthma-related death of a loved one were based upon self-report. Asthma triggers were examined using the Asthma Trigger Inventory (ATI).
  
  
  
  PD, ataques de nervios, and asthma-related death of a loved one each predicted a higher frequency of psychological asthma triggers, controlling for gender and comorbid medical conditions. Participants with PD also reported greater impact of asthma triggers than those without PD, while no significant differences in perceived control were observed.
  
  
  
  Providers should screen for PD, ataques de nervios, and asthma-related death of a loved one in Latino asthma patients, given their observed association with emotionally triggered asthma.
authors.affiliation: Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, United States.
authors.forename: Karinna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vazquez
authors.affiliation: Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, United States.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sandler
authors.affiliation: VA New Jersey Health Care System, United States.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Interian
authors.affiliation: Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, United States; Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, United States. Electronic address: Jonathan.Feldman@einstein.yu.edu.
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Feldman
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001601:Bereavement; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000075384:Neuroticism; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012803:Sick Role; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Asthma; Ataques de nervios; Death of a loved one; Latinos; Panic disorder; Psychological triggers