Journal of Pediatric Psychology Advance Access originally published online on December 29, 2005
Journal of Pediatric Psychology 2006 31(8):840-845; doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsj095
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Brief Report: Illness Uncertainty and Dispositional Self-Focus in Adolescents and Young Adults with Childhood-Onset Asthma
1 University of Minnesota Medical School, 2 University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and 3 Oklahoma State University
All correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jill C. Van Pelt, Division of Pediatric Clinical Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Medical School, MMC 486, 420 Delaware Street, S.E., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455. E-mail: vanp0039{at}umn.edu.
Received February 11, 2005; revision received June 1, 2005, September 30, 2005 and December 1, 2005; accepted December 7, 2005
Objective To investigate differences in self-focused attention between college students with childhood-onset asthma and a group of healthy controls and to determine whether self-focused attention mediates the relationship between illness uncertainty and psychological distress among individuals with asthma. Methods Forty-two adolescent and young adult participants with childhood-onset asthma and 40 age- and gender-matched healthy participants completed measures of self-focused attention, perceived illness uncertainty, psychological distress, and health status. Results Adolescents and young adults with childhood-onset asthma evidenced an increased tendency to engage in private self-focus compared to age- and gender-matched peers without a chronic illness history. Self-focused attention also mediated the relationship between perceived illness uncertainty and psychological distress among those with asthma. Conclusions The need for self-monitoring in asthma management may result in an increased propensity to self-focus, which may result in heightened levels of psychological distress.
Key words: illness uncertainty; pediatric asthma; self-focused attention.