Relationship between psychosocial characteristics and asthma management self-efficacy of caregiver mothers: a pilot study of pediatric asthma management in Turkey

We analyzed the relationships between family functionality, caregiver burden, perceived social support, and asthma management self-efficacy of 300 Turkish mothers who provide care to pediatric asthma patients in this cross-sectional sampling study. The mean age of the caregiver mothers was 31.82 +/- 5.08. Our study results showed that the participants had above moderate but insufficient perceived social support and asthma management self-efficacy and they were moderately satisfied with caregiver burden and family functioning. As mothers' perceived social support increased, their satisfaction with family functioning and asthma management self-efficacy also increased but their caregiver burden decreased. Additionally, the caregiver mothers had a sufficiently high level of self-confidence in caregiving to children with asthma, and the caregiver mothers who received training or more information about asthma believed that they were able to manage asthma to a great degree. The researchers conducted regression analysis and they found that biological and social factors and the degree of caregiving burden were significantly associated with asthma management self-efficacy levels. The multivariate biopsychosocial model accounted for 37.4% of the total variance in asthma management self-efficacy. Parent asthma management self-efficacy levels of the caregiver mothers are largely linked to their biological and psychosocial characteristics.

Automated summary

The study found that mothers' perceptions of social support and asthma management self-efficacy can impact family functioning, caregiver burden, and confidence in caring for pediatric asthma patients. Mothers who received training or had more information about asthma had higher levels of self-efficacy.