Comorbidity between asthma attacks and internalizing disorders among Puerto Rican children at one-year follow-up

Abstract

Authors examined the association between internalizing disorders and asthma attacks at 1-year follow-up among a community sample of 1,789 children and adolescents ages 5-18 years living on the island of Puerto Rico. The Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children was administered to assess DSM-IV internalizing disorders during the past year. Children with a lifetime history of asthma attacks at baseline had greater odds of having an internalizing disorder at 1-year follow-up, independent of socio-demographic measures. However, an association was not found between asthma attacks and persistence of internalizing disorders. These findings show that the association between internalizing disorders and asthma attacks was replicated 1 year later in the same sample.