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- Title
Assessing Parental Anxiety in Pediatric Food Allergy: Development of the Worry About Food Allergy Questionnaire.
- Authors
Poehacker, Stefanie; McLaughlin, Alix; Humiston, Tori; Peterson, Catherine
- Abstract
Food allergies (FAs) in children are increasingly common, and strict allergen avoidance and safety concerns place parents at risk for anxiety (Lau et al. in Pediatr Allergy Immunol 25:236–242, 2014). Assessing parental anxiety with generic instruments may not capture the unique experience of parents managing children's FAs. This study developed and preliminarily validated the 13-item Worry About Food Allergy (WAFA) questionnaire, a measure of FA-specific parental anxiety, in an online sample of 265 parents aged 22–66 (M = 40.25) of children with FAs. The WAFA showed good internal reliability (Cronbach's α =.89) and moderate convergent validity with other anxiety measures, indicating support for a reliable measure of a discrete, specific construct. Exploratory factor analysis indicated a single factor structure. Criterion validity was established through significant, small, positive correlations with relevant allergy variables. A coherent single factor measure, the WAFA, shows promise as a screening tool for parental anxiety in pediatric practice and FA management.
- Subjects
FOOD allergy; EXPLORATORY factor analysis; QUESTIONNAIRES; ANXIETY; PARENTS
- Publication
Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 2021, Vol 28, Issue 3, p447
- ISSN
1068-9583
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10880-020-09737-1