Factors associated with fear of feeding in parents of children with neurological disorders: a cross-sectional study.

This study investigated factors related to children and parents that may be affecting parents' fear of feeding their children with neurological disorders. This study included 90 children with neurological disorders aged 3-12 years and their parents. Parents' fear of feeding was assessed using the Fear of Feeding My Child-A Parental Report (FF-PR). As child-related factors, demographic and feeding-related characteristics of children were noted. Additionally, children's swallowing functions were assessed using the Dysphagia Disorder Survey (DDS) and the Nordic Orofacial Screening Test (NOT-S). As parent-related factors; descriptive information about parents was noted, and the Turkish version of the Feeding-Swallowing Impact Survey (T-FS-IS) was used to assess the parents' concerns about their children's pediatric feeding disorders (PFD), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to determine the level of depression risk, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) to determine the level of anxiety risk. Factors that may be related to parents' fear of feeding were determined using multiple stepwise linear regression analysis. According to regression analysis, parents' fear of feeding was significantly associated with the child's age, month of transition to complementary foods, weight loss status, and DDS score (B = -0.125, B = -16.494, B = 0.505, B = 0.477, p < 0.05, respectively). In addition, parents' fear of feeding was significantly associated with the parents' concerns about their children's PFD and the level of anxiety risk (B = 8.998, B = 10.667, B = 2.161, p < 0.05, respectively).

conclusionThese findings suggest that both child-related and parent-related factors are associated with parental fear about feeding, and fear of feeding should be considered when evaluating parents of children with PFD. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Having a child with a pediatric feeding disorders (PFD) negatively impacts parents' emotional state and quality of life. • Parents' fear of feeding can negatively affect both parent-child interactions and children's feeding functions. WHAT IS NEW: • This study has identified factors related to both the child and the parent that influence fear of feeding in parents of children with neurological disorders. • Parents' fear of feeding is associated with the child's age, the time of the transition to complementary foods, weight loss status, the severity of PFD, and the parents' anxiety levels, concern, and perceptions of feeding difficulties due to PFD.