A Coping Skills Program for Children With Asthma

Uncontrolled asthma in school-aged children is a significant public health problem. Latino children living in low-income contexts are at increased risk for uncontrolled asthma compared to non-Latino white children, and stress is an unaddressed factor in this disparity. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to test an intervention program that teaches families skills to cope with asthma-related and other sources of stress. Specifically, the study will compare the effects of the combined coping skills + asthma management program with a standard asthma management program in 280 families of Latino children with asthma. The study will also look at why the program may have an effect, and specifically whether the program impacts child coping, parent coping, or family asthma management behaviors. The main hypothesis is that the combined coping skills + asthma management program will improve asthma outcomes more than the standard asthma management program.

Inclusion Criteria: * Inclusion criteria are that (a) the child has a diagnosis of asthma as reported by the child's medical provider and confirmed by the parent; (b) the child is a current patient at a participating clinic; (c) the child is 8 to 14 years old; (d) the child is Latino/a; and (e) the child and parent speak English or Spanish. Exclusion Criteria: * Exclusion criteria are that the presence of a disability interferes with the child's participation in the intervention beyond accommodations feasible in primary care.