The Relationship between the Severity of Asthma and the Severity of Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Depression and anxiety are two common mood disorders in modern societies with global expansion, which reduce the quality of life. A number of recent studies have investigated the relationship between anxiety and depression in patients with asthma. Due to the lack of studies in this area, especially in Iran, we studied this issue in Iranian population. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on 151 patients with asthma referred to lung subspecialty clinics in Isfahan and Shahrekord cities, Iran, in 2016. The participants were included using sequential sampling method. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire was used as an instrument for measuring anxiety and depression. Data were analyzed using t and Spearman correlation tests via SPSS software. Findings: 151 patients with asthma entered the study. By controlling demographic characteristics, and considering the underlying disease, the relationship of depression scores with the severity of asthma was not significant. Anxiety scores related to having the disease and gender. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the level of anxiety and depression was not related to the severity of asthma. Considering the high prevalence of asthma and the role of depression and anxiety in people's quality of life, more studies, using different tools to measure the level of anxiety and depression, shows to be needed.

Keywords

• Asthma
• Anxiety
• Depression