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儿童及青少年的母亲与照料者的应激发生频率，并识别其应激源。本研究为观察性、描述性的定量与定性研究，共纳入53名确诊哮喘的2至12岁儿童/青少年的母亲及照料者。研究结果显示，86.8%的参与者存在应激水平升高情况。研究发现应激与哮喘起病时长、患儿用药时长、儿童哮喘相关应激源数量以及母亲/照料者的受教育程度存在关联。本研究明确家庭、社会、经济与情感因素为主要应激源，其中包括哮喘儿童的照护工作。识别与哮喘相关的应激源，是理解该疾病、开展儿童哮喘诊疗，进而推进应激管理的重要环节。