Stress in mothers and caregivers of children and adolescents with asthma: study of the frequency of stress and stressors

The objective of this study was to describe the frequency of stress and identify stressors in mothers and caregivers of children and adolescents with asthma attended in a pneumology public pediatric outpatient clinic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Observational, descriptive, quantitative and qualitative study, with 53 mothers and caregivers of children/adolescents diagnosed with asthma, aged 2 to 12 years. The results demonstrated the presence of stress levels in 86.8% of participants. There was association between stress and the time since asthma onset, time the child/adolescent had been using medication, number of stressors regarding the childhood asthma and the education level of the mother/caregiver. The study identified family, social, economic and emotional factors as stressors, including the care of children with asthma. Identifying stressors related to asthma is an important step towards understanding the disease, treating the condition in children and, consequently, dealing with stress management.

本研究旨在描述巴西里约热内卢公立儿科呼吸专科门诊接诊的哮喘（asthma）儿童及青少年的母亲与照护者的压力发生频率，并明确其相关压力源。本研究为观察性、描述性、定量与定性相结合的混合研究，共纳入53名确诊哮喘的2至12岁儿童/青少年的母亲及照护者。结果显示，86.8%的研究参与者存在不同程度的压力。分析发现，压力水平与哮喘起病时长、儿童/青少年的用药时长、儿童哮喘相关压力源数量及母亲/照护者的受教育水平均存在显著关联。本研究明确了家庭、社会、经济与情感等多类压力源，其中涵盖哮喘儿童的照护负担。明确与哮喘相关的压力源，是理解该疾病、规范儿童哮喘诊疗以及推进后续压力管理工作的重要前提。