Celiac disease autoimmunity was more likely to be linked with depression, anxiety, aggressive behavior and sleep problems in children aged 3.5 years when their mothers were unaware of the child’s autoimmune status, when compared to mothers who did know about it. To reach that conclusion, investigators working on the Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young study collected data on over 8,600 children to determine what was triggering type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. The study also included a checklist to measure children’s psychological status at ages 3.5 and 4.5 years. Researchers discovered:

• Mothers who were not aware of their child’s celiac disease autoimmunity reported more psychological problems at age 3.5 years than those who were aware of their status.
• The differences were no longer significant at age 4.5 years.