Asthma will not affect the mental state of children.
It used to be believed that children who have asthma are more likely to develop mental health issues over the course of their lives. According to research from American scientists, those with the breathing affliction were more vulnerable to anxiety, depression and other forms of psychological impairment. This is not the case, says a team of Dutch researchers, provided that the asthma of the child is under careful and consistent management.
The team looked at 70 children ranging from ages eight to 15 who have asthma that is mostly well-controlled. They were then compared to 70 of their friends who are similar in many ways but do not have the disease. They were asked to fill out questionnaires tailored to their ages that are designed to look for signs of mental disorders such as depression and low self-esteem. What the team found was that the children, whether or not they have asthma, scored the same on their psychological assessments.
The original literature, mostly from America, suggested that kids with asthma were at risk for anxiety, depression and low self-esteem, but that’s not what we’ve encountered in our clinical practice,” wrote lead study author, Professor Paul Brand, in the report. It was published in the most recent issue of the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Although asthma can cause stress in other areas of life, parents do not have to worry about any kind of psychological affliction, as long as the disease remains in capable hands. Having asthma will not result in any mental deterioration of children, welcome news after years of inaccurate analysis.
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