Prevalence of Parent Mental Health Problems in an Interdisciplinary Feeding Clinic: Short Communication

Parents of children with pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) often experience high stress and may be at advanced risk for mental health conditions. We conducted a retrospective chart review of 413 parents who completed intake surveys at an interdisciplinary feeding clinic to determine the prevalence and types of mental health conditions among parents; 41.8% of parents reported a mental health diagnosis among the mother and/or father. Of the parents with mental health conditions, the most prevalent conditions reported were anxiety (71.1% for mothers, 50% for fathers) and mood disorders (62.7% for mothers, 40.9% for fathers). For mothers, 21.1% indicated their mental health disorder had a postpartum onset. Parents of children with birth complications were more likely to have a mental health condition (50.9%) than parents of children without a birth complication (38.7%), and parents reporting mental health conditions had children with significantly more co-occurring medical conditions. Since parent stress and mental health can influence parent-child interactions during mealtime, this study suggests the importance of addressing both parent mental health factors and child factors when treating children for PFD. Future studies are needed to develop novel interventions that support the specific mental health needs of parents of children with PFD.