Emotional competence and quality of life of children with asthma: The mediating effect of coping strategies |
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Authors: | Magali Lahaye Carole Fantini-Hauwel Nady Van Broeck Eddy Bodart Olivier Luminet |
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Institution: | 1. Psychological Sciences Research Institute , Université catholique de Louvain , Place Cardinal Mercier 10, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium;2. Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS-FRS) , Rue d’Egmont 5, Brussels, Belgium magali.lahaye@uclouvain.be;4. Research Center in the Psychology of Cognition , Language and Emotion, Aix-Marseille University , Aix-en-Provence, France;5. Department of Psychology , University of Leuven , B-3000 Leuven, Belgium;6. Department of Paediatrics , Cliniques universitaires de Mont-Godinne, Université catholique de Louvain , Yvoir, Belgium;7. Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS-FRS) , Rue d’Egmont 5, Brussels, Belgium |
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Abstract: | This study explored the mediating effect of coping strategies on the relationship between emotional competence (EC) and quality of life (QOL) among children with asthma. Participants were 87 children (M age?=?11.72, SD?=?2.58) with controlled and partially controlled asthma, undergoing everyday treatment. They filled in questionnaires assessing EC, coping strategies and QOL. Results showed that the association between some ECs and the QOL of children with asthma was fully mediated by two maladaptive cognitive coping strategies. Among children with asthma, a greater ability to differentiate their emotions, a reduced attention to bodily signals of emotions and a reduced analysis of their current emotional state were related to decreased engagement in two coping strategies (‘Ignoring Asthma’ and ‘Worrying about Asthma’), which in turn increased their QOL. These findings show that EC has an indirect effect on QOL through very specific coping strategies. They also emphasise the importance of screening EC in children with asthma and the importance of developing and using multidisciplinary interventions for them. |
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Keywords: | asthma quality of life children emotional competence emotional regulation |
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