The experience and expression of anger and anxiety in bronchial asthma patients

Abstract: This study investigated differences between asthma patients and a control group of healthy individuals in their responses to eight measures of trait anxiety and the experience, expression and control of anger. The Inventory of Situations and Responses of Anxiety (ISRA) and a Spanish adaptation of State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) were administered to medical outpatients diagnosed as suffering from bronchial asthma and a control group of healthy persons closely matched for age and gender. Asthma patients had significantly higher ISRA trait anxiety scores, reported more physiological and motor anxiety, thoughts of insecurity, as well as more anxiety in relation to four different situational areas. The asthma patients also reported experiencing anger more frequently, and without provocation, than healthy persons as reflected in higher STAXI T-Anger, Angry Temperament, and Anger-Out scores. These results provide evidence of the importance of dealing with negative emotions in the treatment of bronchial asthma patients.