PSYCHOLOGICAL AND

SOCIOCULTURAL
DETERMINANTS IN CHILDHOOD
ASTHMA DISEASE: IMPACT ON
QUALITY OF LIFE

Dr. Shikha
Dr. Bhargavi
AIM

■ To understand psychological and sociocultural determinants and their

impact on the quality of life of asthmatic children.
OBJECTIVE
PRIMARY
■ To understand the influence of
psychological and socio
cultural determinants on the
quality of life of asthmatic
children.
SECONDARY
■ To identify the most frequent
psychological and
physiological alterations
associated with childhood
asthma.
METHODOLOG Using various search
Unfiltered
articles engines
Y
Free From 2011
articles to 2021

ARTICLE REVIEW
TOTAL 48 Paediatric
population
Full text
0 to 12
years

English and
Duplicate
Spanish
Inclusion criteria Exclusion criteria

■ Information from last 10 years ■ Study population is adults or

2011- 21 elderly.
■ Articles in English or Spanish ■ Documents with only abstracts.
■ Articles whose sample is
paediatric population.
■ With full text
■ Articles with other variables
such as quality of life and
personality.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL DIMENSION SOCIOCULTURAL DIMENSION

1. Anxiety and depression - IgE cells expressed 1. Bullying - high physical limitations , and eating
during asthma attacks could be responsible for restrictions is the more common cause to feel lonely
subsequent mental health problems. and discriminated  increasing bullying influences

2. ADHD - the modulation of behavior or emotions is 2. Academic performances –

altered, thus affecting emotional control and the AE, Alter sleep patterns & Anxiety and depresison
regulation of impulsivity and ADHD poor performance

3. Personality traits – Psychopathic behaviour and 3. Socio economic status - Low socio economic status
psychosis  increased risk of suffering from asthma increases mortality, morbidity, and emergency
hospital admissions

4. Emotions and Stress - feeling of emptiness that is 4. Family and social relationships – Child’s
triggered by a feeling that cannot be expressed, and psychological well-being and immune functioning is
which causes the individual physical and emotional higher when mother–child relationships are very close
discomfort. Difficult to avoid. and affectionate behaviors
CONCLUSION

■ Presence of evidence to affirm that asthma is a disease with a psychosomatic basis and
that the presence of negative psychological and sociocultural factors influences the
quality of life of asthmatic children.
■ Children with asthma are more often obese or overweight and have impaired immune
systems and sleep quality
■ Dysfunctional family and social relationships in children with asthma negatively
influence asthma management and quality of life.
LEARNING
■ Children with asthma are more often obese or overweight and
have impaired immune systems and sleep quality.
■ The health of the children are further compromised if they are
bullied or harassed at school.
■ Asthmatic children generally perform worse academically and
have lower socio economic status than healthy children.
■ Dysfunctional family and social relationships in children with
asthma negatively influence asthma management and quality of
life.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
■ Nature of article – a review article published in International journal of Environmental

Research and Public Health.

■ Author has tired to identify various etiological factors with respect to psychological and

socio cultural domain and tried to correlate it with childhood asthma.

■ Author has also tried to convey the interactions between mind and body and its

connections with each other.

■ Mentioned about allergic and non allergic precursors in the article which is usually less

area of study and is not commonly found in textbooks.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
■ The author has achieved primary objective but the secondary objective has been totally

missed  Identification of the most frequent psychological and physiological alterations

associated with childhood asthma.

■ It throws light on the point that asthma is a major factor in the development of emotional,

social, and economic difficulties.

■ But no comment on the child’s unexpressed internalizing and externalizing factors that

lead to the onset of asthma and also on the emotions generated by this chronic disease. 

psychosomatic aspect.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
■ However they have also affirmed that adherence to treatment is highly dependent on the

level of stress and depression experienced by these children.

■ But didn’t mention the effects of these stresses on management outcomes

■ Overall the author has helped in understanding the psychological and sociocultural

determinants in childhood asthma

■ But the dimensions of quality of life which are affected is not being mentioned in detail
RELEVANCE OF THIS STUDY IN THE
PRACTICE AND ACADEMICS
■ We know the psychological and socio cultural factors that will help in studying the disease
entity and correlating it with BPS model.

■ Understanding different personality traits.

■ Non allergic precursors such as emotions or environmental factors are the most difficult to
control than allergic precursors this knowledge will help in deciding management plans.

■ Maternal education and caring maternal behaviour towards an asthmatic child lead to
decrease in internalizing problems and enhance in immune function.

■ Avoidance of triggers and breathing techniques the most effective management.

THANK YOU