Parental perceptions and attitudes toward asthma and its treatment: a controlled study.

We compared the attitudes of parents of 128 asthmatic children with those of 110 control children. The majority of both groups of parents had negative perceptions of the impact of asthma on children, but control parents were significantly more pessimistic. Control parents were also significantly more pessimistic than asthma parents about the impact of asthma on family lifestyle and relationships. In contrast, both groups were remarkably concordant in their ambivalence towards compliance with medication, recognising the necessity and efficacy of drug therapy, and yet worried about its long term effects on children. Both groups were also concordant in their readiness to give up household pets but not cigarette smoking for the sake of asthmatic children. Physician awareness of parental and community perceptions of childhood asthma may contribute to improved compliance with medications.