A qualitative investigation into the maternal experience of having a young child with severe food allergy

Abstract

Mothers in this study shared similar concerns to mothers of children with other chronic illnesses. It is recommended that the experience of allergy should be viewed in the wider family context with specific consideration given to parental coping and anxiety. Services could better meet the psychological and social needs of those affected by allergy.

Psychosocial Distress and Anxiety in Food-Allergic Youth: Identification and Risk Factors

“…In fact, the healthy control group reported significantly higher levels of maternal anxiety and depressive symptomatology than the food allergic group, though both groups' scores fell within the non-clinical range. While this finding is not consistent with previous studies examining child food allergies and maternal distress (e.g., Rouf et al, 2012, Sicherer et al, 2001, it points to the fact that the majority of mothers of youth with food allergies are functioning, on average, in a manner that is within the non-clinical range of psychological distress.…”

‘Because it kind of falls in between, doesn’t it? Like an acute thing and a chronic’: The psychological experience of anaphylaxis in adulthood

“…A small number of studies have considered the psychosocial impact of anaphylaxis with a definitive cause in children (Rouf et al, 2012) and young people (Akeson et al, 2007;Gallagher et al, 2012;Herbert and Dahlquist, 2008;Hullmann et al, 2012), however the psychological impact of experiencing anaphylaxis for the first-time in adulthood is relatively unknown. Studies of children and young people suggest anaphylaxis is associated with impaired quality of life and anxiety, particularly amongst parents and carers (Akeson et al, 2007;Kastner et al, 2010;Rouf et al, 2012). Such findings suggest the importance of considering the impact of anaphylaxis on families, but may also indicate greater psychological burden in adults.…”

“…Allergy services have a crucial role in the long-term management of anaphylaxis. Recently, it has been argued that the Health Service could do much more to meet the psychological needs of individuals with anaphylaxis and their families (Rouf et al, 2012).…”

Perceptions of Food Hypersensitivity Expertise on Social Media: Qualitative Study (Preprint)

“…Living with food hypersensitivities involves constant risk assessments surrounding the foods one consumes. This is especially the case when eating outside the home [4,[6][7][8]. Those with food intolerance wish to avoid repeatable adverse reactions to foods such as bloating, constipation, vomiting and diarrhoea.…”

“…In fact, information circulated among peers, especially those perceived to be similar, may be more influential than formal expertise [21,22]. Social media can offer access to other people living in similar circumstances, and as a result those managing health conditions often turn to their social media peers for help, perhaps for emotional peer support e.g., from other parents of allergic children [7,23]. This instant and supplementary access to other perspectives contrasts with information provision practices within a more formal medical setting.…”