Clinical Potentials for Measuring Stress in Youth with Asthma

It is well established that the course of asthma can be affected by the psychological stress an individual experiences. This article reviews literature assessing the effects of psychological stress on asthma outcomes and discusses the benefits and disadvantages of different measures for assessing stress, including subjective questionnaires, event checklists, and interview-based approaches. We discuss the importance of taking into account the timing and chronicity of stress, as well as individuals' subjective appraisals of stress. We suggest that, although questionnaire and checklist approaches are easier to administer, interview-based stress assessments are preferable, where feasible, because they generate richer and more in-depth information regarding the stressors that people experience. In addition, this kind of information seems to be more robustly linked to pediatric asthma outcomes of interest.