The Association of Mental Health, Asthma Control and Acute Care Visits Among Rural Adolescents with Poorly Controlled Asthma

Abstract

Anxiety and depressive symptoms are associated with asthma-related acute care utilization. Few studies include rural adolescents. Asthma control may be the mechanism by which mental health affects acute care. This study explored associations between generalized anxiety, asthma-related anxiety, depressive symptoms, and acute care visits, and tested if asthma control mediates these associations among 197 rural adolescents with asthma. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and regression. Controlling for age, sex and race/ethnicity, asthma-related anxiety was associated with higher odds of acute care visits ( OR = 2.09, 95% CI [1.42, 3.07]). Asthma control mediated this relationship: one unit increase in anxiety, on average, increased the odds of having any acute care visit by 5%. Generalized anxiety and depressive symptoms were not associated with acute care visits. Helping adolescents reduce their concerns regarding asthma while improving their self-management skill may potentially to reduce acute care among rural adolescents.