Background: Previous research has indicated that children who stutter are more likely to be bullied and to hold a lower social position than their peers who do not stutter. However, the majority of this research has used data from respondents who were in the educational system more than 20 years ago. The current policy on integration of children with severe disabilities into mainstream education and the increased awareness of bullying in schools would indicate that attitudes toward children who stutter might have changed in the intervening period.

Objective  Parents of young children with newly diagnosed food allergy (FA) are at risk for poor psychosocial outcomes due to FA’s life-threatening nature and demanding management routines. Presently, there are no interventions to support FA parents during this adjustment phase. This single-arm pilot study explores the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a novel intervention using peer mentorship to improve psychosocial functioning in parents of young children with newly diagnosed FA. Methods  Parent mentors were trained in mentorship and ethics and then matched with a mentee for a 6-month intervention period. Mentees, parents of children (under age 5 years) diagnosed with FA within 1 year, completed baseline and follow-up questionnaires to assess demographic and medical characteristics, FA knowledge, quality of life, self-efficacy, and social support and a program evaluation. Follow-up focus groups with mentors and individual interviews with mentees were conducted. Results  Participants were 8 mentors and 10 mentees (Mage = 36.60 years, 80% Caucasian) of children ages 0–3 years (Mage = 16.15 months; 60% male). Mentees reported high acceptability for the intervention in program evaluation and interviews, noting improvements in their social support, FA-related stress, confidence in FA management, and positive changes in FA parenting behaviors. Conclusion  This study supports the use of a peer mentorship program to support parents of children with newly diagnosed FA. Future research is needed to determine how to scale this intervention to meet the needs of a large medical division.

Objective Food allergy (FA) management requires youth to avoid allergens and carry emergency medication which can impact participation in social activities. Previous research indicates that some youth experience FA-related bullying, but many studies are limited by single-item assessment methods and a narrow definition of bullying. This study describes FA-related bullying among a diverse cohort of youth with FA and evaluates parent–child disagreement and bullying assessment methods. Methods Youth ages 9–15 years (n = 121) diagnosed with an IgE-mediated FA and their primary caregivers were recruited from pediatric FA clinics to complete surveys about their FA-related bullying experiences. Descriptive statistics were conducted to assess overall FA-related bullying and McNemar tests were utilized to assess disagreement among parent–child report and between multi-item and single-item assessment methods. Results Seventeen percent and 31% of youth reported FA-related bullying on single-item and multi-item assessments, respectively. Twelve percent of parents reported their child had experienced FA-related bullying. Youth reported overt physical (51%), overt non-physical (66%), and relational FA-related bullying (20%). FA-related bullying was most common among classmates. Assessment method significantly affected the rates of FA-related bullying reported by youth, and parents and youth only agreed on FA-bullying experiences when assessed via the single-item measure. Conclusions A subset of a diverse sample of youth with FA reported FA-related bullying. Clinicians should use multi-item assessment methods and ask both parents and children about their experiences to fully capture the experiences of families managing FA. School policies that facilitate FA safety and social inclusion should be promoted. Clinical Trial Registration N/A.

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