[Adolescents and celiac disease: psychological aspects]

Many studies have been carried out on different aspects of coeliac disease in children and adolescents. However, little has been done on how these patients experience their situation and how they cope with dietary treatment. A group of 39 children and adolescents with coeliac disease participated in a controlled questionnaire study. Conclusions are that the acceptance of a gluten-free diet is problematic for the majority of children and adolescents affected by coeliac disease; in particular in the 12 to 17 year old group, that is in that period of life in which the individual tends to oppose the adult world, in search of an individual personality. This search is disturbed in the majority of coeliac patients. The feelings of difficulty connected to the gluten-free diet appear to be almost absent in the family environment, whereas they emerge significantly at times of meeting and sharing with friends.