Condition-specific associations of symptoms of depression and anxiety in adolescents and young adults with asthma and food allergy

Abstract

Objective: This study examined associations of asthma and food allergy with symptoms of depression and anxiety at 14 and 21 years of age to determine whether condition-specific associations exist. Methods: Data come from 4972 adolescents in the Mater University Study of Pregnancy. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were assessed using the Youth Self-Report and Young Adult Self-Report. Results: Condition-specific associations between asthma and depression, OR = 1.37 [1.12, 1.67] and between food allergy and anxiety, OR = 1.26 [1.04, 1.76] were found during adolescence, but not in young adulthood. Whereas asthma was associated with resolved depression, OR = 1.70 [1.13, 2.55], food allergy was associated with persistent anxiety, OR = 1.26 [1.01, 1.59]. Conclusions: In adolescents, asthma is associated with an increased risk of clinically relevant symptoms of depression and food allergy with an increased risk of clinically relevant symptoms of anxiety. Future research is needed to clarify directionality and mechanisms explaining these relationships. Health professionals should be aware of the increased risk of mental health problems in adolescents with asthma or food allergy.

• Adolescent
• allergic disease
• atopic disease
• behavior
• longitudinal study
• young adult

Acknowledgements

The Mater University Study of Pregnancy is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. Dr Ferro is supported by a Research Early Career Award from Hamilton Health Sciences. Dr Van Lieshout holds the Irving Zucker/Albert Einstein Chair in Neuroscience. We are grateful to Greg Shuttlewood for helping with data management and facilitating data access and Jessica Rathwell for helping prepare the manuscript.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.