Pediatric asthma management in the family context: The family asthma management system scale

Abstract

Objective To examine psychometric properties of a revised version of the Family Asthma Management System Scale (FAMSS), a clinical interview to assess asthma management. Methods The FAMSS was administered to 115 children with asthma and their primary caregivers, along with a measure of asthma morbidity. A subset of families (n = 53) participated also in objective-adherence monitoring and completed measures of asthma knowledge and self-efficacy. Results The FAMSS demonstrated good internal consistency (α =.84). The FAMSS summary score was unrelated to age, gender, race, or minority status, but was related to socioeconomic status (SES) and to functional morbidity at baseline and prospec-tively. Convergent validity of the FAMSS was documented. The FAMSS explained additional variance in concurrent-asthma morbidity beyond self-reports or objective adherence monitoring. Conclusion The FAMSS is a valuable tool to assess family-based asthma management that addresses gaps in available assessment methodologies and holds promise for research and clinical applications. Key words assessment; asthma; family system. Asthma is the most common childhood chronic illnes