Emotional aspects of bronchial asthma in Indian patients: Evaluation of an interventional strategy

• Main Authors: Behera D, Kaur S, Gupta D, Verma S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2006-01-01
• Series: Lung India
• Subjects: Bronchial asthma; emotions; self management; self care manual.
• Online Access: http://www.lungindia.com/article.asp?issn=0970-2113;year=2006;volume=23;issue=1;spage=3;epage=7;aulast=Behera
• ISSN: 0970-2113; 0974-598X

In order to improve the self care abilities of the patients with bronchial asthma a ′Self Care Manual′ (a Booklet of 26 pages) on bronchial asthma was prepared. An interview schedule was developed to evaluate the usefulness of the manual. The validity and reliability of both these instruments were established. Five hundred and twenty three diagnosed patients of bronchial asthma (260 in the study group to whom the self care manual was given and 263 controls to whom no specific instructions were given) were included in the study. Emotions like ′tension′, ′excessive laughter′, ′sadness′, ′happiness′ and ′anger′ etc. that triggered the symptoms were studied. The effect of self care manual on other emotions (FNx01a total of 8 items) like ′anxiety due to the disease′, ′tension of taking medicine′ and ′fear of death′ etc. was also studied. Both groups were followed up at 2 weeks, 6 months and 1 year while the same interview schedule was administered on each visit. It was observed that the emotion scores decreased significantly in both the groups (8.08±5.5, 5.89±4.88, 1.44±4.63 and 1.19±4.01 in the study patients, whereas 8.50±6.30, 7.88±6.21, 7.35±6.03 and 5.97±5.81 in the controls) at 0 weeks, 2 weeks, 6 months and 1 year respectively. The emotion scores were significantly less in the study group as compared to controls (unpaired ′t′ = 3.57, 8.52 and 7.67) at 2 weeks, 6 months and 1 year respectively (p< 0.001) Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio of study group patients showing significant improvement in emotion scores was 3.34 (95% CI, 1.78-6.25) and 4.26 (95% CI, 2.34-7.63) at 6 months and 1 year respectively as compared to controls. We concluded that patient education (self care manual in the form of a booklet) made significant improvement in the emotions in patients with bronchial asthma.