Psychological intervention for parents of children with celiac disease: A pilot and feasibility randomized controlled...

Children with celiac disease (CD) must follow a lifelong gluten-free diet (GFD). This can create psychosocial challenges for the family, making caregiver support essential. This study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a self-help psychological intervention designed to empower parents in supporting their own well-being, and their child's quality of life.

Parents of children with CD (8-11 years) took part in an online self-help intervention, including psychoeducation, and family-based activities, to support well-being and quality of life (QoL) in the context of CD. Parents were randomly assigned to the intervention or a waitlist control group. Feasibility outcomes included recruitment, retention, and acceptability. Outcomes included parent-reported wellbeing and GFD knowledge, their child's QoL, and GFD management at baseline, 1-month, and 2-month postintervention. Children also completed measures on their GFD management and CD-related QoL at these time points.

A total of 98 parents were randomized. Families reported the intervention was acceptable, although additional social support was recommended to help embed psychological skills into daily life. A moderate effect was observed for parent-reported aspects of their child's QoL (social domain, g = 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.24-1.19; psychosocial summary g = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.13-1.08). Other outcomes showed trends in the expected direction.

This is the first study to evaluate a self-help psychological intervention for parents aimed at enhancing children's quality of life in the context of CD. While the intervention was well-received, further refinement and adjustments are needed for larger trials.