Download or read book An Examination Of The Relationship Between Pediatric Food Allergies And Anxiety Symptoms written by Adelaide Kaitlyn Collins and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The high prevalence rates of pediatric food allergy in the United States are concerning given the impact food allergy can have on a child's quality of life. There is a general lack of research examining the relationship between pediatric food allergies and anxiety disorder symptoms. The current study aimed to identify and examine the relationship between pediatric food allergy and overall anxiety symptoms as well as three anxiety symptom subscales: separation anxiety disorder (SAD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Participants consisted of the primary caretakers of children ages 7-13 (N = 215) split into a Control group (n = 133) and Food Allergy group (n = 82). Participants filled out the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale Parent Report (SCAS-P; Spence, 1998; Nauta et al., 2004), which was used to assess anxiety symptom severity. Results indicated significantly elevated total SCAS-P scores in the Food Allergy group in comparison to the Control group as well as three SCAS-P subscales: SAD, GAD, and OCD. The results supported the initial hypothesis and suggested higher anxiety symptom severity in food allergic children in comparison to their healthy counterparts. Further research is needed in order to understand the mechanisms of internalizing and inhibitory behavior in food allergic children.