Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Perceived History of Anaphylaxis and Parental Overprotection, Autonomy, Anxiety, and Depression in Food Allergic Young Adults

  • Published:
Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examined autonomy, anxiety, depression, and perceptions of parental behavior in 86 food allergic young adults and 344 healthy young adults between the ages of 18 and 22. Participants completed an online survey measuring self-reported autonomy, anxiety, depression, and perceptions of parental behavior. Results indicated that, as a group, food allergic young adults did not differ from healthy peers. However, food allergic young adults who reported having experienced an anaphylactic reaction described their disease as more severe, reported more worry about their disease, and rated their parents as more overprotective than food allergic young adults who reported never having experienced anaphylaxis. The experience of anaphylaxis may be a reliable indicator of food allergic individuals who are at risk for psychological distress.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen, J. P., Hauser, S. T., Bell, K. L., & O’Connor, T. G. (1994a). Longitudinal assessment of autonomy and relatedness in adolescent-family interactions as predictors of adolescent ego development and self-esteem. Child Development, 65, 179–194. doi:10.2307/1131374.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, J. P., Hauser, S. T., Eickholt, C., Bell, K. L., & O’Connor, T. G. (1994b). Autonomy and relatedness in family interactions as predictors of expression of negative adolescent affect. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 4, 535–552. doi:10.1207/s15327795jra0404_6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, D. L., Flume, P. A., & Hardy, K. K. (2001). Psychological functioning of adults with cystic fibrosis. Chest, 119, 1079–1084. doi:10.1378/chest.119.4.1079.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Avery, N. J., King, R. M., Knight, S., & Hourihane, J. O. (2003). Assessment of quality of life in children with peanut allergy. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, 14, 378–382. doi:10.1034/j.1399-3038.2003.00072.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barber, M. S., Scott, M. B., & Greenberg, E. (2001). The parent’s guide to food allergies: Clear and complete advice from the experts on raising your food-allergic child. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck, A. T., Epstein, N., Brown, G., & Steer, R. A. (1988). An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: Psychometric properties. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 893–897. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.56.6.893.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bogels, S. M., & van Melick, M. (2004). The relationship between child-report, parent self-report, and partner report of perceived parental rearing behaviors and anxiety in children and parents. Personality and Individual Differences, 37, 1583–1596. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2004.02.014.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bollinger, M. E., Dahlquist, L. M., Mudd, K., Sonntag, C., Dillinger, L., & McKenna, K. (2006). The impact of food allergy on the daily activities of children and their families. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 96, 415–421.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bornstein, R. F. (1997). Long-term retest reliability of Interpersonal Dependency Inventory scores in college students. Assessment, 4, 359–364.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bornstein, R. F., Bowers, K. S., & Bonner, S. (1996). Relationships of objective and projective dependency scores to sex role orientation in college students. Journal of Personality Assessment, 66, 555–568. doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa6603_6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coss, L. M. (2004). How to manage your child’s life-threatening food allergies: Practical tips for everyday life. Lake Forest, CA: Plumtree Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ewan, P. W. (1996). Clinical study of peanut and nut allergy in 62 consecutive patients: New features and associations. British Medical Journal, 312, 1074–1078.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fleischer, D. M., Conover-Walker, M. K., Matsui, E. C., & Wood, R. A. (2005). The natural history of tree nut allergy. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 116, 1087–1093. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2005.09.002.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Franko, D. L., Striegel-Moore, R. H., Bean, J., Tamer, R., Kraemer, H. C., Dohm, F., et al. (2005). Psychosocial and health consequences of adolescent depression in black and white young adult women. Health Psychology, 24, 586–593. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.24.6.586.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garrison, W. T., & McQuiston, S. (1989). Chronic illness during childhood and adolescence: Psychological aspects. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gowland, M. H. (2001). Food allergen avoidance—the patient’s viewpoint. Allergy, 56, 117–120. doi:10.1034/j.1398-9995.2001.00934.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greenberger, E. (1984). Defining psychosocial maturity in adolescence. Advances in Child Behavioral Analysis and Therapy, 3, 1–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grundy, J., Matthews, S., Bateman, B., Dean, T., & Arshad, S. H. (2002). Rising prevalence of allergy to peanut in children: Data from 2 sequential cohorts. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 110, 784–789. doi:10.1067/mai.2002.128802.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Helgeson, V. S., Synder, P. R., Escobar, O., Siminerio, L., & Becker, D. (2007). Comparison of adolescents with and without diabetes on indices of psychosocial functioning for three years. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 32, 794–806. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsm020.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hirschfeld, R. M. A., Klerman, G. L., Gough, H. G., Barrett, J., Korchin, S. J., & Chodoff, P. (1977). A measure of interpersonal dependency. Journal of Personality Assessment, 41, 610–618. doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa4106_6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holmbeck, G. N., Johnson, S. Z., Wills, K. E., McKernon, W., Rose, B., Erklin, S., et al. (2002). Observed and perceived parental overprotection in relation to psychosocial adjustment in preadolescents with a physical disability: The mediational role of behavioral autonomy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 96–110. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.70.1.96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hourihane, J. (1997). Peanut allergy: Current status and future challenges. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 27, 1240–1246. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2222.1997.tb01167.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lyons, A. C., & Forde, E. M. E. (2004). Food allergy in young adults: Perceptions and psychological effects. Journal of Health Psychology, 9, 497–504. doi:10.1177/1359105304044032.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Manassis, K., Owens, M., Adam, K. S., West, M., & Sheldon-Keller, A. E. (1999). Assessing attachment: Convergent validity of the Adult Attachment Interview and the Parent Bonding Instrument. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 33, 559–567. doi:10.1046/j.1440-1614.1999.00560.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Masia, C. L., Mullen, K. B., & Scotti, J. R. (1998). Peanut allergy in children: Psychological issues and clinical considerations. Education and Treatment of Children, 21, 514–542.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mesarosova, M., & Ostro, A. (2005). Psychological responses to cancer among female patients with malignant and benign breast disease. Studia Psychologica, 47, 91–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mullins, R. J. (2003). Anaphylaxis: Risk factors for recurrence. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 33, 1033–1040. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2222.2003.01671.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Noll, R. B., Kozlowski, K., Gerhardt, C., Vannatta, K., Taylor, J., & Passo, M. (2000). Social, emotional, and behavioral functioning of children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis and Rheumatism, 43, 2235–2240. doi:10.1002/1529-0131(200006)43:6<1387::AID-ANR24>3.0.CO;2-C.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osman, A., Kooper, B., Barrios, F., Osman, J., & Wade, T. (1997). The Beck Anxiety Inventory: Reexamination of factor structure and psychometric properties. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 53, 7–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Parker, G. (1990). The Parental Bonding Instrument: A decade of research. Social Psychiatry. Sozialpsychiatrie. Psychiatrie Sociale, 25, 281–282.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker, G., Tupling, H., & Brown, L. B. (1979). A Parental Bonding Instrument. The British Journal of Medical Psychology, 52, 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Primeau, M. N., Kagan, R., Joseph, L., Lim, H., Dufresne, C., Duffy, C., et al. (2000). The psychological burden of peanut allergy as perceived by adults with peanut allergy and the parents of peanut-allergic children. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 30, 1135–1143. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2222.2000.00889.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Radloff, L. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 3, 385–401. doi:10.1177/014662167700100306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., Deci, E. L., & Grolnick, W. S. (1995). Autonomy, relatedness, and the self: Their relation to development and psychopathology. In D. Chicchetti & D. J. Cohen (Eds.), Developmental psychopathology, Vol. 1: Theory and methods (pp. 618–655). Oxford, England: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scharloo, M., & Kaptein, A. (1997). Measurement of illness perceptions in patients with chronic somatic illness: A review. In K. J. Petrie & J. A. Weinman (Eds.), Perceptions of health and illness: Current research and applications (pp. 103–154). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Harwood Academic Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sicherer, S. H. (2006). Understanding and managing your child’s food allergies. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sicherer, S. H., Noone, S. A., & Munoz-Furlong, A. (2001). The impact of childhood food allergy on quality of life. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 87, 461–464.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stanwyk, D. J. (1983). Self-esteem through the life span. Family and Community Health, 6, 11–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomasgard, M., & Metz, W. P. (1993). Parental overprotection revisited. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 24, 67–80. doi:10.1007/BF02367260.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thune-Boyle, I. C. V., Myers, L. B., & Newman, S. P. (2006). The role of illness beliefs, treatment beliefs, and perceived severity of symptoms in explaining distress in cancer patients during chemotherapy treatment. Behavioral Medicine (Washington D.C.), 32, 19–29. doi:10.3200/BMED.32.1.19-29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Voorhees, B. W., Fogel, T. K., Houston, T. K., Cooper, L. A., Wang, N., & Ford, D. E. (2005). Beliefs and attitudes associated with the intention to not accept the diagnosis of depression among young adults. Annals of Family Medicine, 3, 38–46. doi:10.1370/afm.273.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wallander, J. L., Thompson, R. J., & Alriksson-Schmidt, A. (2003). Psychosocial adjustment of children with chronic physical conditions. In M. C. Roberts (Ed.), Handbook of pediatric psychology (Vol. 3, pp. 141–158). New York: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weissman, M. M., Sholomskas, D., Pottenger, M., Prusoff, B. A., & Locke, B. Z. (1977). Assessing depressive symptoms in five psychiatric populations: A validation study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 106, 203–214.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wilhelm, K., Niven, H., Parker, G., & Hadsi-Palovic, D. (2005). The stability of the Parental Bonding Instrument over a 20-year period. Psychological Medicine, 35, 387–393. doi:10.1017/S0033291704003538.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, R. A. (2003). The natural history of food allergy. Pediatrics, 111, 1631–1637.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Young, M. C. (2001). The peanut allergy answer book. Gloucester, MA: Fair Winds Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Linda J. Herbert

  2. 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA

    Linda J. Herbert & Lynnda M. Dahlquist

Authors
  1. Linda J. Herbert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lynnda M. Dahlquist
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Linda J. Herbert.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Herbert, L.J., Dahlquist, L.M. Perceived History of Anaphylaxis and Parental Overprotection, Autonomy, Anxiety, and Depression in Food Allergic Young Adults. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 15, 261–269 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-008-9130-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-008-9130-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation