Parents of Allergic Children are 7 Times MORE Likely to have PTSS

I have a vivid memory of driving my car with Natasha in her baby seat (she was 12 months old). I was approaching traffic lights and as I slowed down to a stop, out of nowhere the most horrendous grief gripped me and I burst into uncontrollable tears. My shoulders were shaking, I was a mess. As the lights began to change, I had to pull myself together super-fast but I couldn't stop crying as I continued to drive.

Just two weeks before Natasha had been hospitalised because she couldn't breathe - it was our first experience of her frightening asthma attacks. She took her first steps towards me in the hospital corridor. Three months before that she had an anaphylactic reaction to baby milk formula and three months before that to a banana. What was happening to my baby?

If you are a parent of a child with food allergies you will most likely face significant worry, and for some, severe anxiety and even post-traumatic stress symptoms. Recent research from the University of East Anglia found more than 80% of parents face ‘significant worry' about their child’s food allergy and 42% experienced significant trauma symptoms (PTSS). Another 39% reported having anxiety, anything from moderate to extremely severe.

Parents whose children have been injected with an AAI (eg EpiPen) in an anaphylactic or suspected anaphylactic emergency, were 7 times more likely to experience PTSS symptoms. Parents also described the serious psychological distress that anaphylaxis had on their children, but unfortunately, there is still hardly any research into this.

Dr Kate Roberts, one of the scientists who carried out the study said, "This really highlights the need for greater awareness about the mental health problems that parents of children with food allergies may be experiencing. Knowing which factors could predict different psychological outcomes is important because it could help identify those parents who may be struggling with their mental health and help them overcome some of the problems they may be experiencing.”

If this resonates, how have you coped? Are you worried about the impact allergies and anaphylaxis has had on your child?