Locus of control and selected mental health variables in asthmatics: what are the associations with dyspnea?

Abstract

The literature provides ambiguous information concerning the associations between asthma and psychopathology. The concept of the locus of control (LOC) can shed some light on the psychosomatic aspects of asthma. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between dyspnea perception and psychopathological symptoms in asthma. We also tested how a tendency to attribute the LOC affects the relations between psychopathology and dyspnea. We examined 111 consecutive, unselected asthma patients, including 74 women and 37 men. The mean age was 49.79 ± 14.19 years, with no significant differences between sexes. There were mainly patients with level 2 (38.7%) and level 4 (35.1%) of asthma severity according to the Global Initiative for Asthma classification. Sociodemographic data were collected and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) by Goldberg and the Locus of Control questionnaire by Rotter were applied. The level of dyspnea was assessed by patients on the 10-point Borg scale. Spirometry tests were performed. Gender, education, and LOC differentiated patients according to psychopathological symptoms. There were no differences in psychopathology between the groups with different levels of asthma severity. In women, there was a significant correlation between intensity of dyspnea and higher scores on all GHQ scales; in men, the correlation was observed only for the depression subscale and the general scale. Psychopathological disorders are more significantly associated with subjective asthma symptoms than with asthma severity. Gender, education, and a tendency to attribute the LOC internally may be significant for this association.