- Two thirds of adults and three quarters of caregivers experience psychological distress related to managing food allergies
- The most commonly reported concern is an allergic reaction, which is particularly relevant in Anaphylaxis Awareness Week 2024
- Only a fifth of those in the study reported accessing psychological support for food allergy.
Psychological distress is common amongst those living with food allergy, but a new study co-led by a researcher at Aston University has shown that little support is available to those who are struggling.
1-7 October 2024 is Anaphylaxis Awareness Week, the theme of which is the emotional impact of allergies, so the research is particularly relevant.
Two thirds of adults with food allergies and three quarters of adult caregivers reported psychological distress related to food allergy, according to new research co-led by Aston University’s Professor Rebecca Knibb. In the UK and Canada fewer than 10% of participants were screened for psychological conditions as part of a routine food allergy appointment, while only a fifth of participants in the study reported accessing psychological support for food allergies.
The findings are from the Global Access to Psychological Services (GAPS) for Food Allergy study, which was set up by a team of researchers in the UK and the US. The GAPS study aims to explore the psychological needs of adults and children living with food allergy and parents caring for a child with food allergy. 1,329 adults and 1,907 caregivers of children with food allergy from more than 20 countries took part in the online survey for the GAPS study.
The most commonly reported concern amongst adults with food allergies was anxiety about an allergic reaction, closely followed by general anxiety about living with a food allergy. Other common concerns included anxiety about avoiding unsafe foods and the loss of a normal life. Caregivers were fearful of trusting other people with their child and concerned that others wouldn’t recognise the seriousness of their child’s allergy. Sadness about the impact living with a food allergy has on their life was also common across groups, as was concern about bullying. The UK, Australia and Brazil had the highest percentages of participants reporting distress.
The biggest barrier to access to psychological help was cost. The GAPS study found only very low levels of stigma and worry about seeking support from a mental health professional, so according to the team, the lack of assessment and referral to appropriately trained clinicians requires attention.
The researchers say psychological screening should be available at any age, particularly for anxiety and low mood, and should be free or low-cost to ensure wide access. There is also a need for informational and educational resources.
Professor Knibb said:
“Our research highlights a major unmet need for psychological support for food allergy.
“The cost of support is a significant barrier across all countries in our survey and ways of providing free and easily accessible support is clearly needed.
“We hope to address this in our GAPS study and are currently developing an online toolkit for adults and caregivers which will support them in managing food allergy.”
Read the full study in Allergy DOI: 10.1111/all.16204
Journal
Allergy
Method of Research
Observational study
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Global availability and uptake of psychological services for adults, caregivers and children with food allergy
Article Publication Date
21-Jun-2024
COI Statement
RCK: research funding from the National Institute for Health Research, Aimmune, National Peanut Board, Novartis and the Food Standards Agency and honoraria from Nutricia, Viatris and DBV Technologies. RCK is also Chair of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology Psychology Special Interest Group for Psychology. JP: Section Head for Allied Health, and Co-Lead, Research Pillar, for the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology; sits on the steering committee for Canada's National Food Allergy Action Plan, and reports consultancy for Ajinomoto Cambrooke, Nutricia, Novartis and ALK-Abelló. HB: research funding from the NIH (NAIAD) and speaker honoraria from DBV Technologies. MJM Advisory, New York. RG: receives research support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (R21 ID # AI135705, R01 ID # AI130348, U01 ID # AI138907), Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), Melchiorre Family Foundation, Sunshine Charitable Foundation, The Walder Foundation, UnitedHealth Group, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Novartis, and Genentech. She serves as a medical consultant/advisor for Genentech, Novartis, Aimmune LLC, Allergenis LLC, and Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE). Dr. Gupta has ownership interest in Yobee Care, Inc. LL: Psychological advisor to Alerje.com CJJ: research funding from the National Institute for Health Research and the Food Standards Agency and honoraria from the National Institute for Health Research, Nutricia and Allergy UK. B.P. Vickery reports grants and personal fees from Aimmune, grants from Alladapt, personal fees from Allergenis, personal fees from Aravax, grants from AstraZeneca, grants and personal fees from DBV, grants and personal fees from FARE, grants from Genentech, stock options from Moonlight Therapeutics, grants from NIH-NIAID, grants and personal fees from Novartis, personal fees from Reacta Biosciences, grants and personal fees from Regeneron, personal fees from Sanofi, grants from Siolta, outside the submitted work. A.F. Santos reports grants from Medical Research Council (MR/M008517/1; MC/PC/18052; MR/T032081/1), Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), the Immune Tolerance Network/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID, NIH), Asthma UK (AUK-BC-2015-01), BBSRC, Rosetrees Trust and the NIHR through the Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) award to Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, during the conduct of the study; personal fees from Thermo Scientific, Novartis, Allergy Therapeutics, IgGenix, as well as research support from Thermo Fisher Scientific through a collaboration agreement with King's College London. LJH; CS; CR; CW: No conflicts of interest to declare.