Researchers published a paper about the correlation of stressed out parents and children’s asthma. These researchers studied parents coping styles and parenting styles associated with their children’s disease. They found that over-interference of children over age 7 resulted in children’s asthma symptoms becoming worse. For children under age 7, mothers who had chronic irritation or anger or a tendency to suppress their emotions resulted in a more severe disease symptom in the following year. The researchers found that the parents stress level is verbally or non-verbally communicated to their children. This then affects the child’s asthma symptoms via a psycho-physiological pathway.
What the researchers concluded is that parents need not concern themselves with the types of parenting styles they want to adopt or have. This didn’t seem to be the main influence on a child’s asthma but rather the stress level of the parent. They suggest parents exercise relaxation techniques for anxiety and ways to reduce their stress.