Healthcare professionals have become increasingly aware of the emotional impact of bullying on children and teens. While most studies focus on bullying based on a child’s physical appearance or social status, a recently published study in Pediatrics revealed that more than 30 percent of children were harassed by classmates over their allergies.
"It's very easy to intimidate a food-allergic child," noted Dr. Eyal Shemesh, who heads up the division of behavior and environmental health in the Department of Pediatrics at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. "It doesn't take more than waving a peanut in front of them."
A survey of 251 families recruited at a food allergy clinic revealed that 45 percent of the children and teens (aged 8 to 17) said they'd been bullied, with nearly a third indicating that they were harassed due to their food allergy. The bullying occurred at school where allergic kids were taunted with food being tossed at or waved in their face.
Kids who were bullied even once were less happy at school. Many parents (nearly half) indicated they were unaware their child was being bullied. But Shemesh indicated that when parents become aware of their child being bullied, it lessens the emotional impact of being bullied. "Parents should ask, not in an alarming way, something like, 'Do people bother you at school or anywhere? Do people bother you about the allergy?'" said Shemesh who encouraged pediatricians and allergy specialists to also become involved. "Clinicians should not be intimidated or think that children will not talk to them about it," Shemesh said. "This study shows they will."
According to the CDC, teens and young adults with food allergies are at the highest risk of fatal food-induced anaphylaxis. Every three minutes, a food allergy reaction sends someone to the emergency department. Kids are often aware of these facts and are already stressed out by their food allergies. Bullying just compounds the stress. "Living with a food allergy is emotionally stressful, since the only way to prevent a potentially life-threatening reaction is to be vigilant about avoiding problem foods," said John Lehr, CEO of the Food Allergy Research and Education organization. "When children with food allergies are bullied by being exposed or taunted with a food they are allergic to, it heightens anxiety and creates a sense of isolation."
Food allergy bullying can lead to serious emotional problems in children. Experts suggest that parents, educators and healthcare professionals become proactive in addressing the problem. One book that offers solutions is “Bullying Prevention and Intervention: Realistic Strategies for Schools (Intervention in the Schools Series; S. M. Swearer, PhD; D.L. Espelage PhD; and S.A. Napolitano PhD).
Image courtesy of Ambro/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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