![[ Visit Client Website ]](images/banner.gif)
Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of asthma severity on self-stigma in adult asthma patients.
Study Design: This cross-sectional study was conducted at four respiratory specialist clinics in Selangor, Malaysia.
Methods: Post local ethics approval (MOH-NMRR-14-557-20184) and patients’ consents, 74 asthma patients (aged > 18 years old; nil cognitive disability; not diagnosed with other respiratory diseases) were recruited using purposive sampling method. The enrolled patients were classified on the basis of asthma severity (combined assessment of symptoms and lung function) according to Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines. Lung function tests were performed by CosMed® spirometer. A 22-item self-stigma scale was adapted and translated into Malay language using international standard translation guidelines after taking approval from the corresponding author. The patients’ responses were recorded of a 5-point Likert scale. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS)® version 21 to explore the impact of asthma severity on self-stigma in asthma patients.
Results: The overall mean self-stigma score was 61.62 ± 6.52 (61.62/110). Among 74 adult asthma patients, 14.9% patients had intermittent (n=11), 39.2% had mild persistent (n= 29), 25.7% had moderate persistent (n=19), and 20.2% patients had severe persistent asthma (n=15). A one-way ANOVA revealed a significant difference in the mean score of self-stigma among four asthma severity groups, F (3,70)=6.906, p >0.001. The Post-hoc comparisons using the Tukey HSD test indicated the self-stigma score vary significantly among all asthma severity groups.
Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that the self-stigma in asthma patients becomes more apparent and severe with increasing asthma severity. Therefore, patients with severe asthma need more psychological support from their families and healthcare team.