Life change, coping ability and chronic intrinsic asthma

This study was designed to examine the association between psychosocial assets, environmental change and dosage of adrenocorticosteroids required to control chronic intrinsic asthma. Psychosocial assets were quantified in 36 chronic asthmatics with the use of the Berle Index (BI). Environmental changes were quantified with the Schedule of Recent Experience (SRE), and the results were given in Life Change Units (LCU). The mean amount of daily prednisone, or its equivalent, used by the patients was calculated over a one year period after the psychosocial testing, patients with BI80 per cent (5·5 mg/day). There was a negative rank order correlation between the BI scores and the steroid dosage ( r s=0·564, p