Abstract Rationale Asthma is a highly prevalent disease worldwide, affecting a significant proportion of adults in Brazil. Effective asthma self-management contributes to adequate disease control, reducing exacerbations, hospital admissions, and public healthcare costs. However, mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression have been associated with poorer clinical outcomes, impaired self-care, and increased use of emergency services related to asthma. This study aimed to analyze the association between the presence of mental health disorders and asthma self-management among Brazilian adults. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted as part of a project previously approved by the Research Ethics Committee (no. 7.568.013). The sample included adults with asthma and self-reported depression and/or anxiety from all regions of the country. Data collection was performed using a structured electronic questionnaire administered either in person or remotely. Sociodemographic data, comorbidities, hospitalizations in the past 12 months, as well as the use and adherence to controller medication were recorded. Associations between categorical variables were assessed using the chi-square test of independence, with a significance level of p 0.05. Analyses were performed using Jamovi software, version 2.6.44. Results The sample consisted of 229 adults with asthma, of whom 124 (54%) reported depression, anxiety, or both. Among the participants, 78 (62.9%) reported anxiety only, 8 (6.5%) reported depression only, and 38 (30.6%) reported both disorders. The mean age was 38.0 ± 13.9 years, and 81.8% of participants were female. Regarding the use of controller medication, only 43 (34.7%) of participants reported regular use of their prescribed medication. In the past 12 months, 66 (28.8%) participants had been hospitalized due to asthma. The chi-square test of independence revealed a significant association between the presence of mental health disorders and irregular use of asthma controller medication (χ² = 5.12; df = 1; p = 0.024). Conclusion The presence of mental health disorders was associated with poor adherence to maintenance treatment for asthma, indicating that psychological factors may compromise self-management and appropriate disease control. These findings highlight the need to incorporate mental health assessment and management as an integral part of asthma care to improve treatment adherence and disease control. Public health policies and interdisciplinary care strategies should prioritize educational and psychosocial support initiatives targeting these patients, thereby contributing to the reduction of exacerbations, hospitalizations, and asthma-related costs within the public healthcare system. This abstract is funded by: This research was supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development - CNPq, the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation, and Communications, and the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development - FNDCT – (Grant CNPq 16/2024; Grant CNPq/MCTI/FNDCT 18/2021 – UNIVERSAL). This study was also financed in part by the Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance code 001 and by the Empresa Brasileira de Serviços Hospitalares (Ebserh).
Santino et al. (Fri,) studied this question.