The impact of emotions on the perception of dyspnea in pediatric asthma

Inadequate symptom perception is increasingly recognized as a contributing factor in asthma morbidity. Recent research has shown that psychological factors can influence the perception of asthmatic symptoms such as dyspnea, but little is known, about the impact of emotions on the perception of dyspnea in pediatric asthma. Therefore, we examined the impact of viewing affective film clips of positive, neutral, and negative valence on perceived dyspnea during resistive load breathing in children with stable mild asthma. Perceived dyspnea decreased during the positive film compared to baseline and neutral film whereas the level of respiratory loading and respiratory resistance (R5) remained unchanged across conditions. The results underline the potential impact of psychological factors such as emotions on the perception of dyspnea in children with asthma.