Development of the Child- and Parent-Rated Scales of Food Allergy Anxiety (SOFAA).

Abstract

BACKGROUND\nAnxiety can be excessive and impairing in children with food allergy (FA). There is no accepted, condition-specific measure of anxiety for this population.\n\n\nOBJECTIVE\nTo evaluate the validity and reliability of new, child- and parent-rated measures of FA-related anxiety in youth.\n\n\nMETHODS\nItems for the Scale of Food Allergy Anxiety (SOFAA) were developed by a cognitive-behavioral therapist (CBT) specializing in pediatric anxiety, in consultation with FA medical professionals and parents of children with FA. Dyads (n=77) of FA children (aged 8-18 years; 42.9% female) and their parents (95.5% female) completed full versions of the SOFAA (21 items; scored 0-4) via online survey.\n\n\nRESULTS\nThe child-rated SOFFA-C mean score was 29.1 (SD=18.3); the parent-rated SOFAA-P mean score was 33.9 (SD=16.1). Higher scores indicate higher reported anxiety. Coefficient alphas were 0.94 and 0.92. Factor analyses and item response theory analyses supported the creation of the 14-item SOFAA-C-brief and 7-item SOFAA-P-brief, accounting for 93% and 79% of total variance, respectively. Correlations revealed strong convergence between child- and parent-report for both the full (r=0.85) and brief (r=0.79) versions. Correlations with a generic measure of child anxiety (Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders-SCARED) and the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire (FAQLQ) ranged from moderate-to-strong, whereas those with a generic measure of child eating problems (About Your Child s Eating-AYCE) were weak-to-moderate, supporting convergent and divergent validity. Scores of 48 dyads who completed SOFAAs at time 2 (mean=16.0 days) appeared stable over time, supporting test-retest reliability.\n\n\nCONCLUSION\nThe 21-item SOFAA-C and SOFAA-P are reliable and valid scales for measuring condition-specific anxiety in youth with FA. As shorter screening measures, the SOFAA-C-brief and SOFAA-P-brief are also reliable and valid.