Department of Health Sciences Faculty Articles

Validity of the Family Asthma Management System Scale With an Urban African-American Sample

Document Type

Article

Publisher

Oxford University Press

ISSN

0146-8693

Publication Date

6-1-2011

Keywords

African Americans, Asthma, Caregivers, Parenting, Poverty, Reproducibility of Results, Stress, Psychological, Surveys and Questionnaires, Urban Population

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine the reliability and validity of the Family Asthma Management System Scale for low-income African-American children with poor asthma control and caregivers under stress. The FAMSS assesses eight aspects of asthma management from a family systems perspective.

METHODS: Forty-three children, ages 8-13, and caregivers were interviewed with the FAMSS; caregivers completed measures of primary care quality, family functioning, parenting stress, and psychological distress. Children rated their relatedness with the caregiver, and demonstrated inhaler technique. Medical records were reviewed for dates of outpatient visits for asthma.

RESULTS: The FAMSS demonstrated good internal consistency. Higher scores were associated with adequate inhaler technique, recent outpatient care, less parenting stress and better family functioning. Higher scores on the Collaborative Relationship with Provider subscale were associated with greater perceived primary care quality.

CONCLUSIONS: The FAMSS demonstrated relevant associations with asthma management criteria and family functioning for a low-income, African-American sample.

DOI

10.1093/jpepsy/jsp083

Volume

36

Issue

5

First Page

576

Last Page

585

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

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