TY - JOUR T1 - Psychological comorbidity (depression and anxiety) in children with asthma JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 42 IS - Suppl 57 SP - P4309 AU - Sarah Letitre AU - Eelco Draaisma AU - Eric P. de Groot AU - Paul L.P. Brand AU - Paul Brand Y1 - 2013/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P4309.abstract N2 - IntroductionAlthough there is some evidence linking asthma to psychological co-morbidity, considerable controversy remains about the exact nature and strength of this association.ObjectiveTo compare the prevalence of psychological symptoms (anxiety, depression and low level of self-esteem), in children with partly or well-controlled asthma to that of healthy peers.MethodsUsing validated questionnaires we quantified the degree of symptoms of anxiety, depression and low level of self-esteem in 70 patients with asthma and in 70 healthy age-, sex-, and socio-economic-status matched controls.ResultsWe found no significant differences in anxiety, depression or low level of self-esteem between groups (p-values ranging from 0.148 to 0.387)Small, but significant differences were found in the competence subscales “behaviour and attitude” (p=0.040) and “loneliness” (p=0.017), both being poorer in the asthma group.Conclusion Children with partly or well-controlled asthma do not have an increased risk of psychological comorbidity. Earlier reports of psychological comorbidity in asthma may be due to uncontrolled asthma. ER -