Table 2.
Impact of self-reported allergies on mood for the day and the day ahead.
| All respondents N (%) | Gender N (%) | Symptom severity N (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | Male | Female | Severe | Moderate | |
| “When you get allergies, how does it affect your mood for the day?” | |||||
| Grumpy | 380 (36) | 184 (36) | 196 (36) | 99 (51)‡ | 281 (32) |
| Irritable | 650 (61) | 301 (58) | 349 (64)* | 129 (66)‡ | 521 (60) |
| Moody | 340 (32) | 174 (34) | 166 (30) | 87 (44)‡ | 253 (29) |
| Frustrated | 511 (48) | 237 (46) | 274 (50) | 106 (54)‡ | 406 (47) |
| Tired and exhausted | 666 (63) | 305 (59) | 361 (66)* | 128 (66) | 537 (62) |
| Depressed | 188 (18) | 81 (16) | 107 (20)* | 53 (27)‡ | 135 (16) |
| No impact | 35 (3) | 18 (3) | 17 (3) | 10 (5) | 26 (3) |
|
| |||||
| “What impact do your allergies have on your day ahead?” | |||||
| Reluctant to go to work | 426 (40) | 221 (43) | 205 (38)* | 80 (41) | 346 (40) |
| Less affectionate with partner or children | 405 (38) | 197 (38) | 208 (38) | 101 (52)‡ | 304 (35) |
| Avoid people/public places | 335 (32) | 142 (28) | 193 (35)* | 76 (39)‡ | 259 (30) |
| Embarrassed about appearance | 329 (31) | 140 (27) | 190 (35)* | 68 (35) | 262 (30) |
| Unable to participate in everyday activities | 380 (36) | 191 (37) | 189 (35) | 82 (42)‡ | 298 (34) |
| Need to explain that you are not sick | 400 (38) | 168 (33) | 232 (43)* | 87 (45)‡ | 313 (36) |
| Dread taking public transport | 160 (15) | 72 (14) | 87 (16) | 33 (17) | 127 (15) |
| Feel sorry for yourself | 398 (38) | 158 (31) | 240 (44)* | 89 (46)‡ | 309 (36) |
| Professionalism will be compromised | 219 (21) | 125 (24)† | 93 (17) | 52 (26)‡ | 167 (19) |
| People will avoid you | 168 (16) | 74 (14) | 94 (17) | 39 (20)‡ | 129 (15) |
| None of the above | 90 (9) | 50 (10) | 40 (7) | 13 (7) | 77 (9) |
*P < .05 for females versus males; † P < .05 for males versus females; ‡ P < .05 for people with severe versus moderate symptoms.