Caregiver Expressed Emotion and Pediatric Asthma: A Call for Culturally Specific Adaptations

Abstract

Background:

Expressed emotion is the affective attitudes and behaviors of an individual toward another. In this preliminary study, we described expressed emotion among caregivers of children with asthma living in low-income urban area and evaluated its association with child asthma control.

Methods:

Forty-one children (90.2% African American/Black) and their caregivers participated. Measures included the Childhood Asthma Control Test and the Five-Minute Speech Sample coded for overall expressed emotion, emotional over-involvement, and criticism.

Results:

Most caregivers were rated borderline (31.7%) or high (48.8%) for expressed emotion, borderline (31.7%) or high (39.0%) for emotional overinvolvement, and low for criticism (73.2%). The association between criticism and asthma control neared statistical significance [U(N_low = 30, N_B/high = 11) = 100, z = −1.922, P = 0.055].

Conclusion:

Findings suggest an examination into expressed emotion coding procedures for caregivers in low-income urban areas, and culturally specific adaptations may be necessary. Future research should confirm findings in a larger sample and consider how parental criticism affects children's asthma management.