Dating Anxiety in Adolescents and Young Adults With Food Allergies

Abstract

The present study sought to examine dating anxiety and problems in social relationships and health-related quality of life in adolescents and young adults with food allergies compared with their healthy peers. It was hypothesized that individuals with food allergies would experience greater dating anxiety and poorer social functioning and physical and mental health–related quality of life than their healthy peers. Participants with food allergies were age, gender, and ethnicity matched to young adults without a history of allergies or any other chronic illness for analyses. The majority of adolescents and young adults with food allergies reported that their allergies interfere with physical intimacy with their current partner. Results further revealed that adolescents and young adults with food allergies reported greater dating anxiety and fear of negative evaluation than healthy peers. No differences were observed between the groups on physical or mental health–related quality of life or social functioning. For both groups, dating anxiety was a significant predictor of mental quality of life and social functioning.