Is bronchial asthma a risk factor for emotional well-being in adolescence? A comparative study.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether bronchial asthma could be a risk factor for emotional well-being during adolescence.

Methods and measures: This is a comparative cross-sectional design. A total of 450 participants aged 12 to 16 years (M = 13.61 and SD = 1.84) were included (150 with bronchial asthma and 300 healthy). For both groups, self-esteem, emotional distress, problems with peers, family styles and psychosocial bonds were assessed. T-tests and multi-group structural equation modelling were used for comparative analyses, and the moderating role was analysed through PROCESS.

Results: The t-tests showed a difference in means between the groups, finding lower self-esteem scores in adolescents with asthma, but better emotional well-being, a greater number of bonds and healthier family styles than those of their healthy peers. In the multi-group, the moderating role of bronchial asthma on emotional well-being in adolescence could not be assessed. Moderation analyses indicated that asthma was a moderating variable for the relationship between self-esteem and emotional well-being in adolescence.

Conclusions: Asthma can be a stressful event that makes emotional well-being difficult in the adolescent stage, but there seem to be other more influential factors such as perceived family style or self-esteem.