Psychiatric Problems in Mothers of Asthmatic Children

Abstract

Background: Chronic physical conditions in children significantly affect the quality of life in parents, especially mother. Many people with chronic pulmonary conditions as well as their family members need psychiatric assistance. Objectives: The goal of the current study was to evaluate the mental status as well as substance abuse behavior of mothers of asthmatic children. Patients and Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study performed through completion of a questionnaire by participants. All mothers of asthmatic children at Masih Daneshvari Hospital from February 2011 to March 2013, consisted of 182 individuals, were included in the study after obtaining informed consents. The SCL-90 (symptom check list) questionnaire was completed by patients. History of substance abuse or cigarette smoking was asked from the sample group. Correlations between variables were analyzed using student t-test and chi-square test by SPSS-16 software (the statistical package for social science). Results: The mean age of participants was 33 ± 5 years and the average number of their children was 2 ± 1. The percentages of participants with scores in the abnormal range (≥ 2.5) were 17% for anxiety, 2% for obsessive compulsion, 15% for aggression, and 15% for the reference idea. Smoking had significant correlation with the presence of physical complaints (P < 0.007). Smoking history correlated with obsessive-compulsive behavior (P < 0.007) and substance abuse correlated with physical complaints (P = 0.001). Presence of physical complaints correlated with allergy in the children (P = 0.035). The total questionnaires' score and scores for each section also correlated (P = 0.000). Conclusions: This study showed that mothers of asthmatic children are prone to psychiatric symptoms. These symptoms included high scores on anxiety, aggression, reference idea and obsessive-compulsive thoughts. Scores on the physical complaint section were significantly higher in mothers whose children had allergic symptoms. Therefore, it is recommended that they get evaluated for psychiatric symptoms, and psychiatric treatment is recommended alongside treating asthma in their children.