Parent- and Child-Reported Asthma Responsibility in School-Age Children: Examining Agreement, Disagreement, and Family Functioning

Introduction: The school-age years represent a critical time for children to begin assuming shared asthma management responsibility. This study aimed to describe parent- and child-reported asthma responsibility, examine agreement and disagreement, and explore family functioning as a predictor of agreement/disagreement. Methods: Twenty children (age range = 6-11 years) and one of their parents participated in this cross-sectional study. Parent-child dyads independently reported on their asthma management responsibility and asthma control. Parents also completed family functioning and demographic questionnaires. Results: There was a significant difference between parent and child asthma responsibility scores (t(19) = 2.46,p < .05), indicating that children saw themselves as assuming greater responsibilities than their parents did. A regression analysis showed that collectively, family functioning predicted 74% of the variance in parent -child disagreement (F(6,15) = 4.17,p < .05). Discussion: Family functioning may be an important factor in promoting shared management of asthma in school-age children.