Psychological Needs and Services in a Pediatric Multidisciplinary Celiac Disease Clinic.

Abstract

This study aims to describe the psychological needs in children with celiac disease (CD) and to examine the feasibility of psychological consultation in a multidisciplinary clinic. Participants (N = 69) included children with CD and their parents who completed a pre-clinic mental health survey and a 30-min psychological consultation as part of a multidisciplinary clinic (including gastroenterology, nutrition, education, neurology, and neuropsychology). Quantitative and qualitative analyses examined psychological needs, experiences, and satisfaction. The psychologist identified clinically significant symptoms and provided referrals in 49% of children. There were no significant differences by time since CD diagnosis. During the psychology consultation, families discussed emotional adjustment, impact on life and physical well-being, and management of the gluten-free diet. Parents reported high levels of satisfaction from the clinic visit. We identified frequent psychological needs in pediatric CD. The multidisciplinary approach may be a feasible model for specialized, optimal treatment in this population.