Development and validation of the Adolescent Asthma Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (AASEQ)

  1. Simone Holley1,*,
  2. Rebecca Knibb2,*,
  3. Sue Latter3,
  4. Christina Liossi4,
  5. Frances Mitchell5,
  6. Ruth Radley and
  7. Graham Roberts1,5,7⇑
  1. 1Clinical and Experimental Sciences and Human Development in Health Academic Units, University of Southampton, UK
  2. 2Department of Psychology, Aston University, Birmingham, UK. Faculty of Medicine, Southampton, UK. School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, UK
  3. 3School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, UK
  4. 4School of Psychology, University of Southampton, UK and Department of Paediatric Psychology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
  5. 5The David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre, St Mary's Hospital, Isle of Wight, UK
  6. 6NIHR/Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
  7. 7NIHR Southampton Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
  1. Prof. Graham Roberts, Paediatric Allergy and Respiratory Medicine (Mailpoint 805), Southampton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK. E-mail: g.c.roberts{at}soton.ac.uk

  1. * Equal contribution

Abstract

Perceived self-efficacy is the belief that one can manage prospective situations. Good asthma self-management self-efficacy is associated with better asthma outcomes. However, a well-developed and validated tool to measure adolescent asthma self-management self-efficacy is lacking. Our objective was to develop and validate an Adolescent Asthma Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (AASEQ).

The first stage of the study included a review of the literature, interviews with adolescents with asthma and consultations with parents and relevant healthcare professionals to develop a prototype scale. To assess reliability and validity, a further group of adolescents completed the prototype scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale and KidCope (measures coping styles). Re-testing was undertaken to assess longitudinal validity.

Interviews with 28 adolescents and consultations with other stakeholders resulted in a 38-item prototype scale. Key themes were medication, symptom management, triggers, knowledge, attitude and beliefs around asthma, supportive relationships, schools and healthcare professionals. The prototypte scale was completed by 243 adolescents. Factor and reliability analysis reduced it to a 27-item scale with 4 sub-sections: symptom management; medication; friends, family and school; asthma beliefs. The 27-item scale had respectable to excellent internal consistency (α's 0.78–0.91) with results that were stable over time (ICC=0.82) in 63 who completed it twice. Better adolescent asthma self-efficacy was associated with better general self-efficacy and indices of better asthma management.

The AASEQ is a reliable and valid tool that is likely to aid future research and practice focused on adolescent asthma self-management and could be a useful intermediate outcome measure to assess the impact of behavioural interventions.

Footnotes

This manuscript has recently been accepted for publication in the European Respiratory Journal. It is published here in its accepted form prior to copyediting and typesetting by our production team. After these production processes are complete and the authors have approved the resulting proofs, the article will move to the latest issue of the ERJ online. Please open or download the PDF to view this article.

Conflict of interest: Dr. Knibb reports grants from Asthma UK, during the conduct of the study.

Conflict of interest: Dr. Latter reports grants from Asthma UK, during the conduct of the study.

Conflict of interest: Dr. Liossi reports grants from Asthma UK, during the conduct of the study.

Conflict of interest: Mrs Mitchell has nothing to disclose.

Conflict of interest: Mrs Radley has nothing to disclose.

Conflict of interest: Dr. Roberts reports grants from Asthma UK, during the conduct of the study.

Conflict of interest: Dr. Holley reports grants from Asthma UK, during the conduct of the study.

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