LAUSR

INTRODUCTION According to the literature, somatic and psychological factors are connected with asthma bronchiale. The health behavior of these patients can be influenced by the virtual world. AIM We wish to analyze social media and internet usage, self-esteem and sociodemographic data connected to attachment. METHOD For our research, the Facebook Intensity Scale, the Problematic Internet Usage Questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and a socio-demographic questionnaire were used. We interviewed 175 asthmatic children from the age of 10 to 18 (92 boys, 83 girls). RESULTS Asthmatic girls, children who went to daycare (under the age of 3) and who were not breastfed use Facebook more than boys, children who stayed at home instead of daycare and who were breastfed (p<0.01). There is no difference in their internet usage. Breastfeeding (even if it only lasted for 1-7 days) can strengthen attachment which is shown in our results regarding social media usage compared with children who were not breastfed (p<0.01). A negative relation with medium strength was found between the number of siblings (ρ = -0.400; p<0.01) and the self-esteem and Facebook usage (ρ = -0.475; p<0.01). There is a positive correlation between Facebook usage and the size of the place the children live in (ρ = 0.492; p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Asthmatic youth use social media more frequently which provides social feedback to compensate their self-esteem, especially by girls. As protection factors, we can emphasize the existence of human relationships and the importance of an early mother-child bond. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(47): 1971-1980.