Coping in children and adolescents with a food allergy – a systematic review

Abstract

Background: Research has shown that children and adolescents with food allergy are the group most at risk of fatal reactions from accidental ingestion of an allergen. Exploring how they cope with their food allergy could explain why this group is most at risk. A systematic review was conducted of published papers looking at how children and adolescents cope with their food allergy. Method: Electronic searches were conducted using the following databases: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, Science Direct, Web of Science. Papers including data from participants aged 8-16 years old with a food allergy or hypersensitivity were retrieved and analysed. Thematic analysis was then used to synthesise the findings. Findings: Twelve studies were selected from 4,672 papers after a review of abstracts and full texts. All papers underwent data extraction, quality appraisal and thematic analysis. Six key themes were identified: 1) Coping with risk 2) using auto-injectors 3) education, knowledge and understanding 4) social support 5) taking responsibility and 6) coping with emotions. Discussion: The six themes highlighted that coping with food allergy is a multifaceted process dependant on many factors such as the individual’s perception of risk, the situation or environment they are in, the influence and attitude of others, and the individual’s age and gender. Participants in the review were mainly teenagers; therefore it is difficult to infer how younger children cope with food allergy. This needs further investigation and ways in which children and adolescents can be helped to coping adaptively with food allergy need to be developed.