000913 - Maternal anxiety regarding group settings and quality of life in mothers of children with food allergy

Mothers of children with food allergy (FA) may experience anxiety related to their child’s safety and participation in group settings such as schools and childcare. We aimed to characterize maternal anxiety, identify associated factors, and examine its association with maternal quality of life (QOL).

In January 2025, we conducted a web-based survey of 300 mothers with a child (≤15 years) with FA; 272 were analyzed after exclusions. Participants reported avoided food allergens and anxiety-provoking situations regarding group settings; anxiety was defined as reporting ≥1 anxiety-provoking situation (yes/no; reference: no anxiety). Maternal QOL was assessed using the Food Allergy QOL Questionnaire for Parent Burden (FAQOL-PB), and health literacy (HL) using the HLS-Q12. Anxiety (ref: no anxiety) was modeled using logistic regression adjusted for child age/sex, log number of avoided foods, anaphylaxis history, accidental ingestion history, and HL (per 10 points). Because six mothers had FAQOL-PB score = 0, non-zero FAQOL-PB scores were analyzed using Gamma generalized linear models with log link, adjusting for the same covariates. Exponentiated coefficients were interpreted as ratios of mean FAQOL-PB.

A total of 147 mothers (54%) reported anxiety. The most frequently reported concerns were triggering allergic symptoms (25%) and accidental ingestion (24%). Accidental ingestion history was associated with anxiety (aOR [95% CI], 2.90 [1.62–5.19]), whereas the log number of avoided foods (1.82 [1.00–3.32]) and anaphylaxis history (2.35 [0.97–5.69]) did not reach statistical significance. Among mothers with non-zero FAQOL-PB scores, anxiety was associated with higher burden (exp(beta) [95% CI], 1.21 [1.07–1.36]). Anaphylaxis history did not reach statistical significance (1.20 [1.00–1.45]), and higher HL was associated with lower burden (0.87 [0.81–0.93]).

Maternal anxiety regarding group settings is common among mothers of children with FA. Anxiety was associated with greater maternal burden after adjustment for clinical factors and HL. Targeted support for mothers experiencing anxiety may be warranted to address burden and QOL.