Personality Traits and Perceived Food Allergy: A Pilot Exploratory Study

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Allergy Immunology
• Integrative Medicine

Background:

• A significant gap exists between perceived and objectively confirmed food allergies.
• Maladaptive personality traits may influence symptom perception and illness experience in food allergy.
• Integrative medicine considers personality traits in reporting food-related symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the association between personality traits and perceived food allergy.
• To investigate psychological factors in individuals with and without confirmed food allergy.

Main Methods:

• Pilot study with 21 adults reporting food allergy symptoms.
• Allergological assessment and psychological evaluation using the PID-5-BF.
• Comparison between confirmed (n=10) and excluded (n=11) food allergy groups.

Main Results:

• Patients without confirmed food allergy had significantly higher Antagonism scores (p=0.003).
• Moderate-to-large effect sizes noted for Negative Affectivity, Disinhibition, and Psychoticism.
• Findings are preliminary due to small sample size and exploratory nature.

Conclusions:

• Confirmed food allergy patients face environmental burdens; those without may exhibit higher maladaptive traits, especially antagonism.
• Integrating psychological assessment can enhance patient-centered, evidence-based allergy care.
• Psychological evaluation supports integrative approaches for diagnostic uncertainty in food allergy.