Aims: To determine whether children with asthma experienced disruptions in emotional and behavioural functioning following a series of volcanic eruptions.

Methods. Multitrait, multimethod assessment was carried out with children living in the volcanic area. Self reports, teacher reports, and parent reports were collected on 118 children and addressed issues related to psychiatric disruptions resulting from the eruptions.

Results. Asthma was reported by 30% of the sample and this figure compares favourably with previous findings with other New Zealand samples. These asthmatic children were compared with a group of nonasthmatic children on a range of psychiatric symptoms following the volcanic eruptions. Asthmatic children reported, and were observed by parents and teachers, to manifest greater levels of eruption related distress when compared to a group of nonasthmatic children. Children with asthma were found to have significantly higher symptom scores on several indices including those related to eruption-related general distress and context-specific problems (eg, upset at home, upset when eruptions were discussed). Additionally, these children perceived their parents to be significantly more upset than the parents themselves reported. It is important to note that asthmatic children, while clearly more distressed, did not as a group evidence clinical levels of posttraumatic stress disorder symptomology.

Conclusions. Children with asthma were more psychologically vulnerable to the volcanic eruptions than children without asthma. These findings have implications for the behavioural management of asthma in children. Discussion integrates current findings with other recent data in highlighting the potential in supplementing traditional asthma management techniques.

Key words: Asthma; Behaviour; Children; Volcanic eruptions.

Reprints: K R Ronan, Psychology Department,
Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

COMMENT

Although fluoride air pollution is a well-known result of volcanic eruptions, the word "fluoride" does not appear in the above study. Respiratory distress resulting from fluoride air pollution was described by Roholm in his classic work (Fluorine Intoxication. A Clinical-Hygienic Study. H K Lewis, London 1937, pp 201-202). Respiratory symptoms, including asthmatic wheezing, were reported by subsequent investigators, cited by Waldbott et al (Fluoridation: the Great Dilemma, Coronado, Lawrence KS 1978 pp 132, 299).

John Colquhoun

FLUORIDE 31(4),  1998, pp 223-224	International Society for Fluoride Research
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