Posttraumatic stress disorder following asthma attack: the role of agency beliefs in mediating psychiatric morbidity.

Background: The link between serious illness and subsequent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychiatric comorbidity has been established. In populations with asthma, however, few studies have investigated this link, or what psychological mechanisms mediate it. Healthcare guidance for chronic conditions, and PTSD literature, highlight "agency beliefs" as a direction for investigation.