Caregiver food allergy self-efficacy explains the relationship between perceived food allergy severity and burden
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Caregiver perceived food allergy severity is associated with food allergy burden, while caregiver food allergy self-efficacy has been linked to improved quality of life for caregivers. This study examined the mediating effect of caregiver food allergy self-efficacy on the relationship between perceived food allergy severity and caregiver food allergy burden. METHODS: Caregivers of children diagnosed with IgE-mediated food allergy were recruited from pediatric allergy clinics to complete demographic and medical questionnaires, the Food Allergy Independent Measure-Parent Form, the Food Allergy Self-Efficacy Scale for Parents, and the Food Allergy Quality of Life-Parental Burden. Hayes' PROCESS was utilized to test mediation analysis. The TREND checklist is available in the Supplementary Materials section. RESULTS: Analyses consisted of 94 caregivers of children (Mage = 11.72 years, 52.7% male, 34.0% Black). Caregiver food allergy self-efficacy mediated the relationship between perceived food allergy severity and caregiver food allergy burden, B = 0.16, SE = 0.07, CI (0.04-0.33). CONCLUSIONS: Caregiver food allergy self-efficacy may play an important role in food allergy psychosocial functioning. Interventions targeting self-efficacy could reduce caregiver food allergy burden. Future research should explore additional psychosocial and medical factors to better tailor food allergy interventions to the family's unique needs.
Source: Journal of Pediatric Psychology
Authors: Maegan Barber, Danielle Griffin, Rebecca Neshkes, Tiffany Kichline, Sabrina Sigel, Linda Jones Herbert
Language: English
Subfield: Immunology and Allergy
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4406518160