Psychosocial Aspects of Food Allergy Resiliency, Challenges and Opportunities

摘要

Food allergy (FA) is a public health concern, affecting approximately 8% of US children and 10.8% of adults, and has been growing in prevalence.1,2 The constant vigilance to avoid allergen exposure can lead to distress and decreased quality of life (QOL).3 In addition, specific FA treatment, such as oral food challenges and allergen immunotherapy (eg, OIT), which may promote QOL and adjustment in the long-run, are often anxiety-producing while occurring.4?6 Certainly, the experience of anaphylaxis and the prospect of epinephrine administration by autoinjection (EAI) is often accompanied by heightened anxiety, impacting patients and caregivers.6,7 Research in other chronic medical diseases has found that a focus on resilience can decrease the burden and improve the experience of living with chronic medical conditions.8 This article highlights recent (within the past 10 years) research on psychosocial aspects related to FA within a developmental framework. Clinical