Psychic disturbances and severity of asthma

doi:10.1016/0022-3999(78)90062-4

Journal of Psychosomatic Research

Volume 22, Issue 5, 1978, Pages 401-408

https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(78)90062-4 Get rights and content

Abstract

One hundred adult asthmatic patients, divided into four groups by the nature and amount of medication for the disease, underwent a psychiatric interview and questionnaire and psychological investigations. The patients in the first group did not regularly need drugs for asthma, those in the third group used beta₂ receptor-stimulating inhalants, which were not used in the second group, and those in the fourth group continuously used corticoids. The patients in the first and second groups were healthier psychically than those in the third and fourth groups. Neurotic features and psychosomatic and neurotic symptoms were shown most frequently by the patients in the third group, and introversion and strong repression by the patients on corticoids, who were more likely to have been withdrawn in childhood.

In a previous study the same patients had been divided into two groups, one with improving asthma and the other with a static or deteriorating condition. The patients in the first group were healthier psychically, showed better psychosocial adaptation and were more often extravert than those in the latter, the differences being more distinct than in the present instance.

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State and trait anxiety in women affected by allergic and vasomotor rhinitis
1999, Journal of Psychosomatic Research
It is still debatable whether anxiety and depression in patients affected by rhinitis could play a role in the genesis of the disease, whether they are a consequence of the symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate anxiety levels in both state and trait forms, and depression, in patients affected by allergic (AR) and vasomotor rhinitis (VMR). A total of 45 women, 24 AR and 21 VMR were compared with 64 healthy nonallergic women matched for age and sociodemographic characteristics. All subjects were administered the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Zung self-rating depression scale. The percentage of subjects with high levels of state anxiety was significantly higher in AR (p<0.005) and VMR (p<0.01) with respect to controls. The percentage of subjects with high levels of trait anxiety was significantly higher in AR (p<0.001) and VMR (p<0.05) than controls. There was no significant difference in depression between AR and VMR and controls. No significant difference was found in state anxiety, trait anxiety, or depression between AR and VMR. In conclusion, anxiety in patients with rhinitis is present both as a state and as a trait, at least when measured with the STAI.
Psychosocial factors, personality and acute-insidious asthma
1981, Journal of Psychosomatic Research
One hundred adult asthmatics, divided into groups by duration of the prodromal phase, i.e. ‘acute’, ‘subacute’ or ‘insidious’ onset (0–1, 2–11 and ⩾ 12 months), underwent a semi-structured psychiatric interview and questionnaire and psychological investigations (MMPI, Wartegg test, Beck Depression Inventory). Disappointments prior to asthma were associated with a close personal relationship in the acute cases in particular, and to progress at work and/or economic matters in cases of subacute onset. The arrival of a new family member or a period of 0–3 years in marriage were connected with insidious asthma most frequently. Certain combinations of psychosocial stress factors and psychiatric diagnoses were observed. The present findings suggest that the duration of asthmatic prodromi may be largely dependent on the nature of psychosocial stress factors (in connection with individual psychic properties: ‘key and lock’), which may be of practical significance in the early evaluation of the patient.
Psychosocial and psychic factors and age at onset of asthma
1979, Journal of Psychosomatic Research
One hundred adult asthmatic patients, divided into 4 groups by age at onset (0–16, 17–27, 28–35 and 36–48 years), underwent a semi-structured, psychiatric interview and questionnaire and psychological investigations. The patients in the first and third groups most often belonged to the highest or lowest social strata and most frequently showed psychic disturbances, while the patients in the second group had these least often. The asthmatics in the first group had most often been either very lively or quiet and with neurotic symptoms as children. The patients in the second group most often showed an improvement in their asthma and least often suffered from depression or obsession, inhibition or psychasthenia, whereas obsession or depression and schizothymia were characteristic of the third group. The third group had the fewest patients with near relatives with atopic disorders. Disappointments within a year before asthma had been experienced most often by patients in the fourth group.
The results indicate that the onset of asthma may be the end-product of the synergic effects of various factors, the contribution of each group (somatic, psychic and psychosocial) probably differing according to age at onset.
Asthma, psychic disturbances and family history of atopic disorders
1979, Journal of Psychosomatic Research
One hundred asthmatic patients, divided into groups with/without a family history of atopic disorders (n = 62 and 38 respectively), underwent a semi-structured psychiatric interview and questionnaire and psychological investigations (MMPI, Wartegg test, Self-image test, Beck Depression Inventory). The study revealed a sub-group of 24 patients who were more likely than the others to have been extraverted and/or dominant in childhood and who were in sharp contrast with the remainder of the series in showing less or no introversion or depression. Twenty-three of these patients (96%) had a family history of atopic disorders, with an asthmatic parent more frequently among these than among the other cases. The patients with no atopic disorders in their relatives showed introversion in particular more frequently than the others, this being at least predominantly a precursor of asthma (long before the onset), but phobic symptoms were less frequent in this group. When asthma is viewed as a disease of multifactorial origin, the present results (and the differences in psychic and psychosocial factors between the present asthmatics and the non-asthmatic controls referred to in an earlier study) suggest that among the psychic factors introversion in particular is probably important within the combination of factors affecting the inception of asthma.
Psychic factors and the inception of asthma
1979, Journal of Psychosomatic Research
One hundred adult asthmatics and one hundred non-asthmatic subjects answered a questionnaire and underwent psychological investigations. Sixty-two per cent of the asthmatics and 30% of the controls had near relatives with atopic disorders, but psychic factors, especially those referring to the dichotomy introversion/extraversion, also had a explanatory power for the group code asthmatic/control. This was conspicuous for ‘the number of hobbies when of school age’ in particular, in which the asthmatics with a negative family history of atopic disorders obtained especially low values not connected with the onset of asthma in childhood. The controls with a positive family history of atopic disorders obtained the highest values, which might suggest that psychic properties connected with marked extraverted tendencies and behavioural activities may have a certain preventive effect against the inception of asthma, lessening the possibility of a manifestation of the disease in ‘potential asthmatics’. Inhibition, disturbances in self-esteem, problems in handling anxiety, fears (particularly in the women) and depression were typical of the asthmatics, whereas the male controls showed emotionally, energeticness and dominance more frequently than did the asthmatic men. The patients with a negative family history of atopic disorders in particular showed schizothymia and had difficulties in the expression of depressive feelings, although the investigation uncovered a high degree of depression in them.
The wartegg zeichen test: A literature overview and a meta-analysis of reliability and validity
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^☆: From the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.

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Journal of Psychosomatic Research

Abstract

References (18)

Psychic disturbances and duration of asthma

J. Psychosom. Res.

Tilastotiedettä Yhteiskuntatieteilijöille

A preliminary comparison of rapidly remitting and persistently “steroid dependent” asthmatic children

Psychosom. Med.

Personality variations in bronchial asthma

Psychosom. Med.

The effect of asthma in children of experimental separation from the family

Psychosom. Med.

Symp. Res. Asthma, Denver, April

Psychosocial factors in the onset and course of asthma

Acta Univ. Oul. D 14z. Psychiatr.

Psychosocial and psychic factors in the course of asthma

J. Psychosom. Res.

The Drawing Completion Test: A Projective Technique for the Investigation of Personality

Cited by (15)

State and trait anxiety in women affected by allergic and vasomotor rhinitis

Psychosocial factors, personality and acute-insidious asthma

Psychosocial and psychic factors and age at onset of asthma

Asthma, psychic disturbances and family history of atopic disorders

Psychic factors and the inception of asthma

The wartegg zeichen test: A literature overview and a meta-analysis of reliability and validity

Psychic disturbances and severity of asthma☆

Abstract

J. Psychosom. Res.

A preliminary comparison of rapidly remitting and persistently “steroid dependent” asthmatic children

Psychosom. Med.

Personality variations in bronchial asthma

Psychosom. Med.

The effect of asthma in children of experimental separation from the family

Psychosom. Med.

Symp. Res. Asthma, Denver, April

Psychosocial factors in the onset and course of asthma

Acta Univ. Oul. D 14z. Psychiatr.

Psychosocial and psychic factors in the course of asthma

J. Psychosom. Res.

The Drawing Completion Test: A Projective Technique for the Investigation of Personality