Abstract
This study examined the covariation of negative emotions with airflow among 48 persons with asthma and their partners as they discussed relationship problems. Measures included self-reported questionnaires, airflow and behavior coded from videotaped discussions. Significantly increased self-reported hostility and statistically but not clinically significant declines in airflow were found post- versus pre-discussion. Self-reported responses to asthma symptoms of more anger and less loneliness predicted lower post-discussion airflow after accounting for pre-discussion airflow. The use of effort-independent measures of airflow and autonomic nervous system monitoring may inform future research regarding the physiological mechanisms through which mood and behavior affect airflow.
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