Adolescent and postadolescent asthmatics' perception of their mothers as overcontrolling in childhood
Rubenstein, H.S.; King, S.H.; London, E.L.
Adolescence 14(53): 1-18
1979
ISSN/ISBN: 0001-8449 PMID: 443091 Document Number: 148271
One of us (HSR) reported that adolescent and postadolescent patients with well-controlled bronchial asthma coming to a university health services clinic were more likely to arrive late for an appointment, or not to show up for it at all, than non-allergic healthy patients, patients with perennial rhinitis, patients with seasonal rhinitis, or patients being investigated for cardiac disease. He wondered whether such behavior might be a reaction against an overcontrolling mother. To determine whether patients with bronchial asthma perceived their mothers as having overcontrolled them in their childhood, we asked adolescent and postadolescent patients coming to a university health services clinic to answer a questionnaire anonymously. Three disease groups were studied: 1) bronchial asthma, 2) perennial rhinitis, 3) seasonal rhinitis; and a group of non-allergic healthy controls. Asthmatics significantly more often than the other groups reported that when they were children their mothers (but not their fathers) had overcontrolled them (p less than .001).