Investigation of the relationship between the attitude of asthmed children and adolescents toward its diseases and their self-efficiency

Asthma is a chronic disease whose prevalence has been steadily rising throughout the world and which has an impact on self-efficacy, attitudes and perceptions. It is known that a high level of self-efficacy and a positive attitude are effective in improving the symptoms of this illness. This study was planned in order to examine the relationship between the attitudes of children and adolescents with asthma toward their own illness and their self-efficacy. The study was conducted at Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşçıoğlu City Hospital, Children's Allergy and Immunology Polyclinic with 200 children and adolescents of ages 10-18 who were being followed up after a diagnosis of asthma. A Descriptive Data Form, a Self-Efficacy Scale for Children and Adolescents with Asthma (SESCAA) and the Child Attitude Toward Illness Scale were used as data collection tools. According to the findings, 77.0% of the children in the study were of the ages 10-14, 40.5% were girls, 72% were in middle school, and 91.5% used their asthma medications regularly. The self-efficacy scores of the children and adolescents with asthma in the study stood at a mean of 53.3±21.6, while their mean score on the Child Attitude Toward Illness Scale was 3.3±1.0. The conclusion was that the children and adolescents in the study demonstrated a low level of self-efficacy and had a neutral attitude toward their illness. No significant relationship was found between the attitudes of the children and adolescents toward their asthma and their self-efficacy scores (p>0.05). It was found that the variables of living in a smokers' household, having an asthma attack in the past year, being adversely affected by asthma in terms of school achievement, and sensitivity to odors were factors that explained 20.5% of the children/adolescents' attitudes toward their illness. It was also found that having dust allergies could be a significant variable affecting the child's level of self-efficacy. It is recommended that asthmatic adolescents/children develop their attitudes and self-efficacy towards the disease.