A Global Survey of Mental Health Treatment Experiences among Food Allergy Patients and Caregivers

Linda Jones Herbert, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC; George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC. Electronic address: lherbert@childrensnational.org.
Rebecca C. Knibb, Aston Institute for Health and Neurodevelopment, Aston University, Birmingham, UK.
Jennifer Lp Protudjer, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Christina J. Jones, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, UK.
Mary Jane Marchisotto, MJM Advisory, New York, USA; EAACI Patients Organisation Committee.
Helen A. Brough, Children's Allergy Service, Evelina Children's Hospital, Guy's and St. Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust, Westminster Bridge Rd, London, UK; Department Women and Children's Health (Pediatric Allergy), School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK; Peter Gorer Department of Immunobiology, School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
Christopher Warren, Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, US.
Cassandra Screti, Aston Institute for Health and Neurodevelopment, Aston University, Birmingham, UK.
Melissa L. Engel, Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, US; Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, US.
Sean Park, Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, US.
Alexandra F. Santos, Children's Allergy Service, Evelina Children's Hospital, Guy's and St. Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust, Westminster Bridge Rd, London, UK; Department Women and Children's Health (Pediatric Allergy), School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK; Peter Gorer Department of Immunobiology, School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
Ruchi Gupta, Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, US; Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, US; Institute for Public Health and Medicine, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, US.
Brian P. Vickery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, US; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, US.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

5-14-2025

Journal

The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. In practice

DOI

10.1016/j.jaip.2025.05.015

Keywords

adult; caregiver; children; food allergy; healthcare access; mental health

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Barriers to mental health treatment have been identified among individuals managing food allergy (FA), yet little is known about their experiences accessing this care. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the mental health treatment experiences of caregivers and adults with FA within the Global Access to Psychological Services for FA Study. METHODS: Caregivers of children with FA and adults with FA from >20 countries completed online surveys about experiences with FA-related mental health treatment. RESULTS: Overall, 21.6% (411/1907) of caregivers and 22.8% (304/1329) of adults reported receiving FA-related mental health treatment. Most of those participants (96.2%) lived in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, or the United States. Cognitive behavioral therapy was the most common treatment reported by caregivers (30.1%) and adults (33.2%). Most caregivers and adults were at least somewhat satisfied with their experience (75.9% and 72.4%, respectively) and perceived that mental health providers were at least somewhat FA knowledgeable (62.5% and 60.06%, respectively), although caregiver and adult perceptions of knowledge significantly varied by country with lowest percentages in Australia (31.8% and 33.4%, respectively) and highest in Portugal (96.0% and 90.9%, respectively), p<.01. Most caregivers (72.1%) and adults (75.0%) reported mental health providers were at least somewhat helpful at addressing FA concerns, albeit again with significant international differences, p<.01. CONCLUSIONS: Most caregivers and adults reported satisfaction with FA-related mental health treatment and believed providers were somewhat FA knowledgeable. However, inter-country attitudes about FA-related mental health treatment experiences were noted.

Department

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

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