Research Article

The Psychosocial Impact of Self-Reported Morning Allergy Symptoms: Findings from an Australian Internet-Based Survey

Table 2

Impact of self-reported allergies on mood for the day and the day ahead.

All respondents (%)Gender (%)Symptom severity (%)
CharacteristicMaleFemaleSevereModerate

“When you get allergies, how does it affect your mood for the day?”
Grumpy380 (36)184 (36)196 (36)99 (51)281 (32)
Irritable650 (61)301 (58)349 (64)*129 (66)521 (60)
Moody340 (32)174 (34)166 (30)87 (44)253 (29)
Frustrated511 (48)237 (46)274 (50)106 (54)406 (47)
Tired and exhausted666 (63)305 (59)361 (66)*128 (66)537 (62)
Depressed188 (18)81 (16)107 (20)*53 (27)135 (16)
No impact35 (3)18 (3)17 (3)10 (5)26 (3)

“What impact do your allergies have on your day ahead?”
Reluctant to go to work426 (40)221 (43)205 (38)*80 (41)346 (40)
Less affectionate with partner or children405 (38)197 (38)208 (38)101 (52)304 (35)
Avoid people/public places335 (32)142 (28)193 (35)*76 (39)259 (30)
Embarrassed about appearance329 (31)140 (27)190 (35)*68 (35)262 (30)
Unable to participate in everyday activities380 (36)191 (37)189 (35)82 (42)298 (34)
Need to explain that you are not sick400 (38)168 (33)232 (43)*87 (45)313 (36)
Dread taking public transport160 (15)72 (14)87 (16)33 (17)127 (15)
Feel sorry for yourself398 (38)158 (31)240 (44)*89 (46)309 (36)
Professionalism will be compromised219 (21)125 (24)93 (17)52 (26)167 (19)
People will avoid you168 (16)74 (14)94 (17)39 (20)129 (15)
None of the above90 (9)50 (10)40 (7)13 (7)77 (9)

for females versus males; for males versus females; for people with severe versus moderate symptoms.