Asthma : a phenomenological evaluation of family and child perspectives

Two groups of families with latency aged children (identified patient) were interviewed. One group of nine families had a child with severe asthma. Determination of severity was indicated by the use of steroid medications for control of symptoms. An equal number of Control families, matched by age and sex of child, were interviewed using the same questionnaires. Children were interviewed separately, followed by the whole family interview. All families were volunteers, natural, intact, and without psychiatric histories. Interviews were tape recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for individual verbalization rates, individual family content, and group family and child content.

Results indicated that Asthma parents were more verbal, expressed greater feelings of responsibility, emphasized mastery, and expressed less empathy than did Control parents, with regard to child illness situations. Asthma fathers were significantly more verbal than Control fathers during interviews, while mothers were similar across groups in their verbal production rates. Asthma families appeared to maintain more rigid parent-child boundaries than did Control families. Asthma children indicated greater reliance upon external sources of help, and expressed less feelings of responsibility and empathy in illness-related issues than did Control children. The roles of medication and activity restrictions were highlighted by the Asthma group.

Methodological concerns were addressed. Results and clinical implications were discussed.