Parents’ perceptions of their children’s food allergies (FAs) may result in feelings of living with constant risk for exposure, beliefs that the allergy is long-term and insurmountable, and the strain of feeling that they need to control and monitor their child’s eating.

Those feelings can lead to parental anxiety, fear, and increased risk for social isolation that can be passed onto the child, affecting the quality of life (QoL) for the entire family. Authors led by Psychologist Laura Polloni, PsyD, with the Food Allergy Referral Centre, at Padua University Hospital, in Padua, Italy, detailed how the perceptions affect the family in a study published in Children.

“It is crucial to understand and explore illness perception, as well as focus on psychosocial-emotional aspects of FA in both children and parents,” the authors wrote. “A multidisciplinary approach that addresses the medical and psychological aspects of FA should be implemented to ensure adequate QoL.” 

This cross-sectional study included 79 parents of children (3-12 years) with a diagnosis of immunoglobulin E-mediated FA, who completed the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire - Parent Form, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ). Parents were recruited during their children’s outpatient visits at the Food Allergy Referral Centre of the Veneto Region sequentially over 6 months.

B-IPQ Easy to Give in Routine Appointments

The authors noted that the B-IPQ can be given easily at routine allergy appointments to understand and monitor FA’s effect on patients and caregivers.

The authors found that a child’s QoL was lower the more allergies a child had, and that mental health difficulties and the way parents perceived the child’s illness also were factors affecting the child’s QoL. And a lower QoL “can further worsen the emotional and relational well-being of patients and families, creating a vicious circle,” the authors noted.

“While the medical risks of food allergy, particularly anaphylaxis, are well studied, the psychosocial and perceptual dimensions are still comparatively underexplored in routine care,” Payel Gupta, MD, with the Allergy & Asthma Network told Medscape Medical News.

In practice, psychosocial burden and perceptions of disease severity can mean families avoid social activities, restrict travel, or experience ongoing anxiety that affects parental well-being and the child’s emotional development, she said. “Over time, this hypervigilance can become exhausting and isolating, even when the allergy itself is medically well managed.”

Common Misperceptions

One common misperception by parents is that FA is a permanent, uncontrollable condition that will inevitably get worse or lead to severe outcomes, Gupta said. The paper shows that when parents perceive the allergy as having a long timeline and overwhelming consequences, children tend to have lower QoL scores, she said. “Another misperception is that complete avoidance is the only marker of good management, which can unintentionally limit normal childhood experiences. These beliefs often stem from fear rather than medical reality,” she added.

To address these misperceptions, early intervention should go beyond emergency preparedness and include evidence-based education on risk and management with explicit discussion of illness perceptions, Gupta said, adding that she agrees with the authors that tools such as the B-IPQ can help.

In some cases, she said, referral for psychological support or structured education programs can be effective in reducing anxiety and improving overall family QoL.

This study “reinforces that food allergy should be understood as a family condition, not just an individual diagnosis,” Gupta said. “By identifying illness perception as a modifiable factor, the study points toward practical opportunities for clinicians to reduce burden, not by changing the allergy itself, but by changing how families understand and live with it.”

The authors and Gupta reported no relevant financial relationships.

Marcia Frellick is an independent healthcare journalist and a regular contributor to Medscape Medical News.