Parent-child conflict and physical health trajectories among youth with asthma

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the role of caregiver- and youth-reports of parent-child conflict on trajectories of asthma-related health outcomes over 2 years. MethodsIn a sample of 193 youth with asthma (42.7% female; M age = 12.78) and their primary caregivers, we used a multi-method and multi-informant approach to assess self-reported parent-child conflict from youth and caregivers at both the daily and global levels at baseline. Next, we annually assessed subjective (i.e., youth self-reported asthma symptoms) and clinical (i.e., peak flow) asthma health outcomes for 2 years. ResultsLatent growth curve models revealed an effect of baseline youth-reported global family conflict on peak flow trajectories such that youth who reported greater parent-child conflict at baseline experienced less of an increase in peak flow over time than youth who reported less parent-child conflict at baseline (standardized β = −0.27, p = .003). ConclusionsYouth with asthma who perceive greater overall conflict with their caregivers experience less improvement in peak flow as they age. The research and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.