The experience and expression of anger and anxiety in bronchial asthma patients

Abstract

This study investigated differences between asthmatic outpatients and a control group of healthy individuals in their responses to trait measures of anxiety and the experience and expression of anger. The Inventory of Situations and Responses of Anxiety (ISRA) and a Spanish adaptation of State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) were administered to outpatients diagnosed as suffering from bronchial asthma and healthy persons closely matched for age and gender. The asthma patients had significantly higher ISRA trait anxiety scores, and reported more thoughts of insecurity and higher levels of anxiety in interpersonal and daily life situations. The asthma patients also reported experiencing anger more frequently and without provocation than healthy persons as reflected in STAXI T-Anger, Angry Temperament, and Anger-Out scales. The results were discussed in terms of the importance of dealing with negative emotions in the treatment of bronchial asthma patients