J Adv Nurs. 2025 May 10. doi: 10.1111/jan.17002. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
AIMS: To explore parents’ experiences of parenting adolescents with food allergies.
DESIGN: An interpretive descriptive qualitative study.
METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted between November 2023 and March 2024 with 11 parents of adolescents with food allergies aged 12-16 years, 8 mothers and 3 fathers. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted.
RESULTS: Three themes were generated: (1) Impact on everyday life, which concerns having to ‘always be on alert’, restriction as a family and mitigating feelings of difference in their child, (2) ‘handing over the reins,’ which describes parents role in the process of transition, including trusting their child, considering new adolescent socialising behaviours such as alcohol and intimate relationships, and ‘letting go’ of some responsibility, and (3) learning, which details common misconceptions that parents still have and lessons learned from experiences of anaphylaxis and from tragedies in the media.
CONCLUSION: This study adds substantial knowledge about the parental experience in food allergy, specific to parents of adolescents. Parents endure constant worry for their child, heightened at critical times, including the transition period of adolescence. Parents need guidance and support from healthcare professionals in this crucial time of change. Further education is needed as knowledge gaps remain even at this advanced stage in a parent’s food allergy journey. Throughout the narrative, there was an undercurrent of parental anxiety, with periods of heightened anxiety illustrated in each theme.
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND PATIENT CARE: The topic of transition and parents’ role in the process should be introduced by healthcare professionals. Future work should focus on creating learning resources for families which cover the common areas of concern identified. Accessible education is needed for healthcare professionals without a background in allergy, particularly concerning anaphylaxis management.
REPORTING METHOD: The Reflexive Thematic Analysis Reporting Guidelines were used to guide reporting.
PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No Patient or Public Contribution.
PMID:40349113 | DOI:10.1111/jan.17002
