Mislabeling of symptoms was studied in a group of 587 chronic asthmatic patients. Results indicated a wide variation in both the frequency and type of mislabeling, with over 26 per cent of the patients mislabeling one or more nonairways obstruction symptom clusters as being an asthma attack. Several demographic and personality factors were found to correlate with mislabeling. Finally, mislabeling was associated with medical outcome, with mislabelers being 40 per cent more likely than nonmislabelers to be rehospitalized for their asthma within six months of discharge.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
EngelG. L., The Need for a New Medical Model: A Challenge for Biomedicine, Science, 196, pp. 129–136, 1977.
2.
LeyP., Psychological Studies of Doctor-Patient Communication, RachmanS. (ed.), Contributions to Medical Psychology, Volume I, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1977.
3.
DaviesM. S., Variations in Patients' Compliance with Doctors' Advice: An Empirical Analysis of Patterns of Communication, Amer. J. Public Health, 58, pp. 274–288, 1968.
4.
LeyP. and SpelmanM. S., Communicating with the Patient, Staples Press, London, 1967.
5.
LeyP.GoldmanM.BradshawP. W.KinceyJ. A., and WalkerC. M., The Comprehensibility of Some X-Ray Leaflets, J. Inst. Health Ed., 10, pp. 47–55, 1972.
6.
LeyP.BradshawP. W.EavesD. E., and WalkerC. M., A Method for Increasing Patients' Recall of Information Presented to Them, Psychol. Med., 3, pp. 217–220, 1973.
7.
KinceyJ.BradshawP., and LeyP., Patient Satisfaction and Reported Acceptance of Advice in General Practice, J. Roual Coll. Gen. Pract., 25, pp. 558–566, 1975.
8.
LeyP.BradshawP. W.KinceyJ., and AthertonS. T., Increasing Patients' Satisfaction with Communication, Brit. J. Soc. Clin. Psychol., 15, pp. 403–413, 1976.
9.
LeyP.JainV. K., and SkilbeckC. E., A Method for Decreasing Medication Errors Made by Patients, Psychol. Med., in press.
10.
FlanneryJ.AlexithymiaI.The Communication of Physical Symptoms, Psychother. Psychosom., 28, pp. 133–140, 1977.
11.
KleigerJ. H. and DirksJ. F., Psychomaintenance Aspects of Alexithymia: Relationship to Medical Outcome Variables in a Chronic Respiratory Illness Population, Psychother. Psychosom., 34, pp. 25–33, 1980.
12.
DirksJ. F.RobinsonS. K., and DirksD. L., Alexithymia and the Psychomaintenance of Bronchial Asthma, Psychother. Psychosom., in press.
13.
FrossK. H.DirksJ. F.KinsmanR. A., and JonesN. F., Functionally Determined Invalidism in Chronic Asthma, J. Chronic Dis., 33, pp. 485–490, 1980.
14.
KinsmanR. A.DirksJ. F., and SchraaJ. C., Psychomaintenance in Asthma: Personal Styles Affecting Medical Management, Respir. Ther., 11, pp. 39–46, 1981.
15.
JonesN. F.DirksJ. F., and KinsmanR. A., Assessment in the Psychomaintenance of Chronic Physical Illness, J. Psychiat. Trest. Eval., 2, pp. 303–312, 1980.
16.
KinsmanR. A.DirksJ. F., and JonesN. F., Psychomaintenance of Chronic Physical Illness: Clinical Assessment of Personal Styles Affecting Medical Management, MillonT.GreenC., and MeagerR. (eds.), Handbook of Clinical Health Psychology, Plenum, New York, in press.
17.
DirksJ. F.JonesN. F., and KinsmanR. A., Panic-Fear: A Personality Dimension Related to Intractability in Asthma, Psychosom. Med., 39, pp. 120–126, 1977.
18.
DirksJ. F.KinsmanR. A.JonesN. F.SpectorS. L.DavidsonP. T., and EvansN. W., Panic-Fear: A Personality Dimension Related to Length of Hospitalization in Respiratory Illness, J. Asthma Res., 14, pp. 61–71, 1977.
19.
DirksJ. F.KinsmanR. A.HortonD. J.FrossK. H., and JonesN. F., Panic-Fear in Asthma: Rehospitalization Following Intensive Long-Term Treatment, Psychosom. Med., 40, pp. 5–13, 1978.
20.
DunningM., Follow-Up of NJH Patients, National Jewish Hospital/National Asthma Center, Denver, 1977.
21.
SpectorS. L. and FarrR. S., Bronchial Inhalation Challenge Procedures in Asthmatics, Med. Clin. N. Am., 58, pp. 71–84, 1974.
22.
KinsmanR. A.DahlemN. W.SpectorS. L., and StaudenmayerH., Observations on Subjective Symptomatology, Coping Behavior, and Medical Decisions in Asthma, Psychosom. Med., 39, pp. 102–119, 1977.
23.
KinsmanR. A.LuparelloT.O'BanionK., and SpectorS., Multidimensional Analysis of the Subjective Symptomatology of Asthma, Psychosom. Med., 35, pp. 250–267, 1973.
24.
KinsmanR. A.O'BanionK.ResnikoffP.LuparelloT. J., and SpectorS. L., Subjective Symptoms of Acute Asthma Within a Heterogeneous Sample of Asthmatics, J. Allergy Clin. Immunol., 52, pp. 284–296, 1973.
25.
KinsmanR. A.SpectorS. L.ShucardD. W., and LuparelloT. J., Observations on Patterns of Subjective Symptomatology of Acute Asthma, Psychosom. Med., 36, pp. 129–143, 1974.
26.
SpectorS. L. and FarrR. S., A Comparison of Methacholine and Histamine Inhalations in Asthmatics, J. Allergy Clin. Immunol., 56, pp. 308–316, 1975.
27.
DirksJ. F.KinsmanR. A.JonesN. F., and FrossK. H., New Developments in Panic-Fear Research in Asthma: Validity and Stability of the MMPI Panic-Fear Scale, Brit. J. Med. Psychol., 51, pp. 119–126, 1978.
28.
DahlstromW. G.WelshG. S., and DahlstromL. E., An MMPI Handbook, Vol. I: Clinical Interpretation; Vol. II: Research Applications, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 1972, 1974.
29.
BarronF., An Ego-Strength Scale Which Predicts Response to Psychotherapy, J. Consult. Clin. Psychol., 17, pp. 327–333, 1953.
30.
NavranL., A Rationally Derived MMPI Scale for Dependence, J. Consult. Clin. Psychol., 18, p. 192, 1954.
31.
KleigerJ. H. and KinsmanR. A., The Development of an MMPI Alexithymia Scale, Psychother. Psychosom., 34, pp. 17–24, 1980.
32.
WinerB., Statistical Principles in Experimental Design, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1962.
33.
SiegalS., Nonparametric Statistics, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1956.
34.
DirksJ. F.FrossK. H., and PaleyA.: Panic-Fear in Asthma: State-Trait Relationship and Rehospitalization, J. Chronic Dis., 31, pp. 605–609, 1978.
35.
DirksJ. F.SchraaJ. C.BrownE. L., and KinsmanR. A., Psychomaintenance in Asthma: Hospitalization Rates and Financial Impact, Brit. J. Med. Psychol., 53, pp. 349–354, 1980.
36.
DirksJ. F. and KreischerH., The Battery of Asthma Illness Behavior, I: Independence from Age of Asthma Onset, J. Asthma, in press.
37.
DirksJ. F.RubackL. A.CovinoN. A., and FeiguineR. J., The Battery of Asthma Illness Behavior, III: Independence from Longitudinal Pulmonary Functions, J. Asthma, in press.
38.
DirksJ. F.BrownE. L., and RobinsonS. K., The Battery of Asthma Illness Behavior, II: Independence from Airways Hyperreactivity, J. Asthma, in press.
39.
ComroeJ. H.ForsterR. E.DuboisA. B.BriscoeW. A., and CarlsenE., The Lung: Clinical Physiology and Pulmonary Function Tests, Year Book Medical Publishers, Chicago, 1971.
