Empathy and psychosocial assessment of children with celiac disease and siblings and their effects on gluten-free diet

Dere F. Y., Ozyurt G., AKSOY B., Kahveci S., Baran M., Cagan Appak Y.

PEDIATRICS INTERNATIONAL, cilt.67, sa.1, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 67 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1111/ped.70225
  • Dergi Adı: PEDIATRICS INTERNATIONAL
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: celiac disease, diet compliance, empathy, psychosocial impact, sibling
  • Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır

Özet

Background A gluten-free diet is currently the only treatment for Celiac Disease (CD). Many factors can affect gluten-free diet compliance. This study aims to evaluate the empathy levels of children with CD and their healthy siblings, the impact of sociodemographic data on dietary compliance, and the emotional and behavioral effects of CD on patients and their siblings.
Method The patients who were diagnosed with CD at least 6 months ago and their healthy siblings were included. Healthy children from different families were included as the control group. Sociodemographic data of the CD cases and questionnaire data, including questions about gluten-free diet and compliance, were obtained. A questionnaire including questions about gluten-free diets and CD was administered to their siblings. Bryant Empathy Scale and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were administered to all cases.
Results A total of 153 children were included in the study, with 51 (33.3%) being cases of CD. The comparison of empathy and SDQ levels of the three groups is that CD cases had the lowest empathy. Emotional, behavioral, and social problems were found to be high in the CD cases. The level of maternal education was found to be low in diet-noncompliant CD patients. No significant difference was found in the empathy and SDQ levels of diet-compliant and noncompliant CD patients and their siblings.
Conclusion It is seen that empathy levels of patients with celiac disease and their siblings are significantly affected, and emotional, behavioral, and social problems are higher. A low educational level of the mother may be effective in dietary noncompliance.