Background: Asthma is a chronic multifactorial disease with a fast-growing global prevalence. Its association with psychological factors is not completely elucidated.
Aim: To analyze features associated with not well-controlled asthma and to test the association of psychological factors with asthma control criteria.
Patients and methods: Cross-sectional study that analyzed data from clinical records of asthmatic women under care in the Adult Respiratory Diseases Programs (ERA, in Spanish) and the Mental Health Program of Family Care Health Centers in the city of Arica. According to the asthma control score, patients were classified as having adequate control or not.
Results: A total of 60 women were analyzed and 62% had a not well-controlled asthma. Factors associated with not well-controlled asthma were moderate depression (Odds ratio (OR) = 6.84;p < 0.01), emotional lability (OR = 0.14; p = 0.02) and domestic violence (OR = 5.75; p = 0.05). The psychological factors associated with asthma control criteria were fear, emotional instability, domestic violence, sleep disorders, mixed anxiety-depressive disorders, and moderate depression.
Conclusions: Psychological factors and violence exposure were consistently associated with asthma control.