Food allergy-related bullying: Risk factors and psychosocial functioning

Food allergy (FA)-related bullying is common, yet little is known about risk factors for FA-related bullying or the relationship between FA-related bullying and psychosocial wellbeing. This study aimed to (1) identify sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with risk of FA-related bullying in children with FA, and (2) evaluate the psychosocial functioning of children and parents reporting FA-related bullying.

This was a cross-sectional survey study of children ages 5-17 years with immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated FA and their parents, recruited from Boston Children's Hospital (BCH) and through social media outlets. Children and parents with versus without a history of FA-related bullying were compared on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and FA-related psychosocial outcomes using validated instruments.

In this cohort of 295 child-parent dyads, the median child age was 8.0 years, 53.2% of children were male, and parent respondents were primarily mothers (96.6%). Reported lifetime prevalence of FA-related bullying was 36.6%. FA-related bullying was associated with certain child characteristics, including coming from a household at risk of food insecurity (FI) (12.0% of bullied children v. 2.2% of not bullied children were from food insecure households, p < .001), having coexisting atopic and mental health conditions-particularly anxiety (30.6% of bullied children v. 8.6% of not bullied children carried an anxiety disorder diagnosis, p < .001)-and having a history of more severe FA reactions. FA-related bullying was associated with elevated concerns in child and parental FA-related psychosocial functioning domains.

Pediatricians and allergists should screen for FA-related bullying and offer families appropriate guidance around management of FA-related bullying.