Perceived Stigmatization of Families of Children with Feeding Disorders

Objective: Feelings of perceived stigmatization of families of children with feeding disorders in infancy and early childhood is not known according to the existing literature. The objective of this study was to determine the perceived stigmatization of families and which risk factors and sociodemografic characteristics are related to perceived stigmatization. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the families of children diagnosed with feeding disorders aged 0-42 months were evaluated for perceived stigmatization with the Expanded Guide for Monitoring Child Development (Exp-GMCD). The Student t, Pearson Chi-square and Fisher-exact tests were used to determine the related factors and logistic regression anaysis was used to find out the effects of related factors on perceived stigmatization Results: Of the 67 caregivers of children with feeding disorders used as the sample, 22 families (33%) expressed perceived stigmatization on the Exp-GMCD. Female gender of the child (OR:3.3, 95% CI:1.1-10, p= 0,029), mother’s feelings of depression (OR:3.2, 95% CI:1-10, p=0.041) and paternal education under high school (OR:5.2, 95% CI:1.1- 23.5, p=0.05) were found to be statistically significantly related to perceived stigmatization of the families. In multiple logistic regression analysis, paternal education (OR:7.6, 95% CI:1.4-4) and female gender of the child (OR:4.4, 95% CI:1.2-15.4) were found to be related to perceived stigmatization of the families. Conclusion: This study shows that one third of the families of children with feeding disorders express perceived stigmatization. We believe this study will stimulate asking the families about perceived stigmatization while evaluating feeding disorders and the provide guidance for the treatment approach when working with families for perceived stigmatization