Becoming the Parent of a Child With Life-Threatening Food Allergies

Susan Brantlee Broome; Barbara J Lutz; Christa Cook

doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2014.10.012

Becoming the Parent of a Child With Life-Threatening Food Allergies

J Pediatr Nurs. 2015 Jul-Aug;30(4):532-42. doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2014.10.012. Epub 2014 Oct 17.

Authors

Susan Brantlee Broome¹, Barbara J Lutz², Christa Cook³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Care Environments and Systems, University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, FL. Electronic address: sbroome1@ju.edu.
² University of North Carolina at Wilmington, School of Nursing, Wilmington, NC.
³ Department of Health Care Environments and Systems, University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, FL.

PMID: 25458106
DOI: 10.1016/j.pedn.2014.10.012

Abstract

Food induced anaphylaxis (FIA) is a serious medical event and managing it can place tremendous mental, emotional and financial burdens on parents of children with FIA. Using grounded theory methods, the experiences of parents caring for a child with FIA and the adjustments and strategies used to effectively manage a child's diagnosis were examined. Findings revealed once a child is diagnosed with FIA, parental competency is often severely challenged, calling into question parents' ability to succeed in the parenting role. To regain parental competency, parents engage in a 3 phase process to learn how to parent a child with FIA.

Keywords: Anaphylaxis; Chronic illness; Competence; Family; Grounded theory; Life-threatening childhood food allergies; Parenting; Qualitative methods.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Food Hypersensitivity*
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Humans
Infant
Male
Parent-Child Relations*
Parenting*
Social Support