IRRATIONAL BELIEFS AND EMOTIONALITY IN ADOLESCENTS WITH AND WITHOUT BRONCHIAL-ASTHMA

Asthmatic adolescents (N = 129) between the ages of 12 and 18 were ass embled into three groups on the basis of severity of illness and were compared with each other and with a fourth group of 74 healthy, nonast hmatic adolescents. Differences in selective cognitive (irrational bel iefs) and emotional (anxiety, depression, and hostility) characteristi cs were examined. Multivariate analysis indicated that irrational beli efs in the importance of approval and the lack of control of emotions, along with self-reported anxiety, depression, or hostility, were stro ngly associated with disease severity. Whereas adolescents with mild a sthma closely resembled the physically healthy comparison group adoles cents with moderate and severe asthma exhibited a cognitive-emotional complex that can be described as maladaptive or dysfunctional. Implica tions of these results for the treatment of asthma are discussed.