Panic-fear: a personality dimension related to intractability in asthma.

A 15-item MMPI scale has been developed that relates to the reported frequency of panic-fear symptoms on the Asthma Symptom Checklist (ASC). High scale scores describe fearful, emotionally labile individuals who profess to be more sensitive than others and unable or disinclined to persist in the face of difficulty. The relationship between the MMPI panic-fear scale and the ASC panic-fear symptoms is highly replicable and related to a crucial aspect of chronicity in asthma. High scoring asthmatic patients were prescribed more intensive discharge steroid regimens upon completion of residential treatment. This relationship was not mediated by available objective pulmonary function measurements used to index medical condition. Development of the MMPI panic-fear scale should enable further investigation of personality and behavioral aspects related to the perceived severity and intractability of other medical conditions and disabilities.