A child with bronchial asthma – his functioning in a peer group

Krauss H, Połocka-Molińska M, Ignys I, Sosnowski P

Purpose: Aim of the study is to show problems parents have to account for in the process of treatment and their knowledge how to solve them. 
Material and methods: Fifty girls and boys aged 5-12 years were participated in this study. The research employed an own questionnaire prepared for this particular purpose. It consisted of three parts: the first part dealt with social-demographic data, the second one with the age of a child at the onset of asthma and accompanying it problems, and finally, the third part was concerned with the knowledge of parents about asthma and its treatment at the time of exa­cerbation. 
Results: Out of all children under study, 60% were boys and 40% were girls, 85% of them come from a district town and 15% from rural areas. Almost 42% of parents answered that the most frequent reaction of the peers and particularly children attending the same class to this information was understanding. Only 11% of peers were able to help the children with bronchial asthma in difficult moments.
Conclusions: The study has shown that hay fever and atopic dermatitis accompanying bronchial asthma markedly make their functioning among peers difficult. Bronchial asthma makes most children suffering from it resign from favorite games and plays connected with physical effort. The attitude of peers to these children can be described as indifferent.