Mental Health Screening Outcomes in a Pediatric Specialty Care Setting.

Objective: To evaluate whether a psychosocial screening program that included free and flexible access to mental health (MH) consultation resulted in increased rate of consultations.

Study Design: This is a post hoc review of a clinical screening program in a pediatric food allergy clinic in New York City. Screening was limited to 2 days per week, providing an opportunity to compare screened and nonscreened cohorts.

Mental health and quality-of-life concerns related to the burden of food allergy.

As food allergy increases, more research is devoted to its influence on patient and family mental health and quality of life (QoL). This article discusses the effects on parent and child QoL, as well as distress, while appraising the limitations of knowledge given the methods used. Topics include whether QoL and distress are affected compared with other illnesses, assessment of distress and QoL in parents compared with children, concerns about food allergy-related bullying, and the necessity for evidence-based interventions.

Utilizing physician screening questions for detecting anxiety among food-allergic pediatric patients.

Objective: To explore the utility of clinician screening for anxiety in pediatric food-allergic patients.

Study Design: In Phase I, 39 patients completed an anxiety questionnaire while their allergists completed a companion questionnaire estimating their patient's responses. Allergists then attended an educational workshop to improve their anxiety detection.

Child and parental reports of bullying in a consecutive sample of children with food allergy.

Objective: The social vulnerability that is associated with food allergy (FA) might predispose children with FA to bullying and harassment. This study sought to quantify the extent, methods, and correlates of bullying in a cohort of food-allergic children.

Methods: Patient and parent (83.