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Westwell-Roper C, To S, Andjelic G, Lu C, Lin B, Soller L, Chan ES, Stewart SE. Food-allergy-specific anxiety and distress in parents of children with food allergy: A systematic review. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2022; 33:e13695. [PMID: 34779046 DOI: 10.1111/pai.13695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parenting a child with food allergy (FA) can lead to impaired quality of life and family functioning. Anxiety is a critical component of FA-associated distress and a potential target for therapeutic intervention. This systematic review aimed to clarify the concept of FA-specific anxiety (FAA) and its antecedents, consequences, and correlates and to determine the extent to which existing FA-specific outcome measures capture symptoms of parental distress and FAA. METHODS MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and CENTRAL were searched for qualitative and quantitative studies examining distress or anxiety in parents of children with FA through August 2020. This review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020208316) and conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. RESULTS Ninety-eight studies were included in the final narrative synthesis. Most participants were mothers, and reporting of demographic data was limited. Parents identified anxiety as the most burdensome form of FA-specific emotional distress. Several allergy-related factors as well as medical and psychosocial interventions were associated with reduced parental anxiety and distress. However, affective, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions of FAA were only partially addressed by existing measures for general anxiety symptoms and FA-specific parental factors. CONCLUSIONS FAA contributes to distress and functional impairment among parents of children with FA. Current FA-specific parent measures fail to adequately capture dimensions of FAA, suggesting that further work is needed to improve the assessment and monitoring of FAA and its impacts. Characterization of this construct represents an initial step in developing standardized methods for assessing and monitoring FAA in clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Westwell-Roper
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Division of Clinical and Behavioural Neurosciences, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sharon To
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Gordan Andjelic
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Cynthia Lu
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Boyee Lin
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Lianne Soller
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Edmond S Chan
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - S Evelyn Stewart
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Division of Clinical and Behavioural Neurosciences, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,British Columbia Mental Health and Substance Use Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Ersig AL, Brown RL, Malecki K. Association Between Food Allergy, Psychological Stress, and Allostatic Load. West J Nurs Res 2021; 44:946-954. [PMID: 34060963 DOI: 10.1177/01939459211019042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Allostatic load (AL), the cumulative biological burden of persistently high stress exposure, influences adult health and well-being across the lifespan, and can be measured with clinical indicators, such as BMI, blood pressure (BP), and waist-hip ratio. Adverse childhood events and other stressors contribute to AL, but stress from other sources, such as previously diagnosed chronic health conditions, has been overlooked. We hypothesized that adults with these conditions would have more stress exposures, higher perceived stress, worse mental health, and higher AL, compared to controls. A secondary analysis of deidentified data from cases with self-reported food allergies and controls found that individuals with chronic health conditions reported more stress exposures, higher levels of perceived stress, and had higher AL, compared to controls. However, other results did not support the study hypotheses. Future studies should examine additional AL measures, such as biomarkers of stress response, in individuals with existing chronic health conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne L Ersig
- School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Roger L Brown
- School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Kristen Malecki
- Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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Poehacker S, McLaughlin A, Humiston T, Peterson C. Assessing Parental Anxiety in Pediatric Food Allergy: Development of the Worry About Food Allergy Questionnaire. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 2020; 28:447-456. [PMID: 32986182 DOI: 10.1007/s10880-020-09737-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Food allergies (FAs) in children are increasingly common, and strict allergen avoidance and safety concerns place parents at risk for anxiety (Lau et al. in Pediatr Allergy Immunol 25:236-242, 2014). Assessing parental anxiety with generic instruments may not capture the unique experience of parents managing children's FAs. This study developed and preliminarily validated the 13-item Worry About Food Allergy (WAFA) questionnaire, a measure of FA-specific parental anxiety, in an online sample of 265 parents aged 22-66 (M = 40.25) of children with FAs. The WAFA showed good internal reliability (Cronbach's α = .89) and moderate convergent validity with other anxiety measures, indicating support for a reliable measure of a discrete, specific construct. Exploratory factor analysis indicated a single factor structure. Criterion validity was established through significant, small, positive correlations with relevant allergy variables. A coherent single factor measure, the WAFA, shows promise as a screening tool for parental anxiety in pediatric practice and FA management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Poehacker
- Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, 352E Science Complex, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA.
| | - Alix McLaughlin
- Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, 352E Science Complex, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA
| | - Tori Humiston
- Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, 352E Science Complex, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA
| | - Catherine Peterson
- Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, 352E Science Complex, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA
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Erratum: Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Parents of Food-Allergic Children: Erratum. Medicine (Baltimore) 2016; 95:e86e6. [PMID: 31265616 PMCID: PMC5265881 DOI: 10.1097/01.md.0000490126.65286.e6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000003156.].
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