Becoming the Parent of a Child With Life-Threatening Food Allergies 1

• Findings from this study build on the Parental Competency Framework established by Maltby and colleagues (2003) by providing comprehensive detail about the complexity of parenting a child with a life-threatening food allergy.
• We developed a framework that provides a comprehensive and detailed picture about the impact of parenting a child with a life threatening food allergies.
• We identified specific strategies parents employ to minimize the impact of food allergies on the child's and family's life. These strategies influence parent's abilities to regain competency by minimizing risk and enhancing the safety of the child's environment.
• This study also highlights the inadequacy of the information and training provided to parents regarding management of food allergies given the high stakes of the medical diagnosis.
• Findings from this study indicate that parents of children with life-threatening food allergies are in need of emotional, cognitive, affiliational, and tangible support.

Food induced anaphylaxis (FIA) is a serious medical event and managing it can place tremendous mental, emotional and financial burdens on parents of children with FIA. Using grounded theory methods, the experiences of parents caring for a child with FIA and the adjustments and strategies used to effectively manage a child's diagnosis were examined. Findings revealed once a child is diagnosed with FIA, parental competency is often severely challenged, calling into question parents' ability to succeed in the parenting role. To regain parental competency, parents engage in a 3 phase process to learn how to parent a child with FIA.