Do parents of children with allergic diseases need psychological support?

Introduction
Children with allergic diseases and their parents may not only be affected physically but also socially and psychologically. Aim: To search the parents’ opinions of allergic diseases and how they are affected by their children’s allergic diseases.

Material and methods
This was a cross-sectional study of allergic children’s parents who were followed by an allergy clinic for more than 6 months. One hundred and two children participated in the study. One of each child’s parents (either father or mother) filled out a questionnaire form, which included questions about demographic characteristics and 20 multiple-choice questions about parents’ opinions regarding allergic diseases and how they are affected by their children’s allergic diseases.

Results
Forty percent of the parents thought that their children had an allergic disease because their bodies were weak and one third thought it was genetic. Sixteen percent of the parents’ quality of life was highly affected because of their children’s allergic disease whereas 6% were not affected. Parents who had a child with more than one allergic disease were significantly more affected (p < 0.05). The most influential problem was children’s symptoms of allergic diseases (42%) and secondly allergen avoidance (32%). Forty-eight percent of the parents reported work absenteeism. Almost half (46%) of the parents expected their physician to completely cure their children’s allergic disease.

Conclusions
Significantly the most affected parents were those whose children had multiple allergic diseases. These parents may need psychological support.