The Asthma/Mental Health Nexus in a Population-Based Sample of the United States

Background: Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic medical conditions in the United States. The relationship of asthma with psychological factors has been known for centuries, and recently there has been a resurgence of interest in this topic. This study investigates the relationship between current asthma and poor mental health in a nationally representative sample of the US population. Methods: This study utilizes data from the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey (n = 355,710). A multinomial logistic regression model was constructed to assess the relationship between current asthma and poor mental health. The relationship between formerly having asthma and poor mental health was also investigated. Results: Persons reporting poor mental health have increased risk of currently having asthma compared to persons reporting good mental health. Additionally this asthma/mental health relationship has a dose-response relationship. For every incremental increase in days of poor mental health, there is a corresponding increase in risk of currently having asthma. Previously reported risk factors for asthma (ie, age, gender, race, marital, smoking, overall health, exercise, obesity, and socioeconomic status) were all found to he important covariates of asthma. The relationship between former asthma and poor mental health is less clear. Conclusions: This large, nationally representative sample confirms the relationship between asthma and mental health symptoms. Any, degree of poor mental health appears to increase one's risk for asthma. Future research is needed to determine the causal and/or physiologic relationship between asthma and mental health symptoms. (CHEST 2008; 134:1176-1182)