Overall Aim:

To determine whether children with allergy symptoms (rash and wheeze) at school age have poorer mental well-being (SDQ) at 8yrs than children who have never had these symptoms

Research questions:

1. Do the children with mother-reported allergic symptoms at school age have poorer mental well-being (mother-reported SDQ) than those who have never had allergic symptoms?

2. Do the children with mother-reported allergic symptoms at school age have poorer teacher-reported mental well-being?

3. Does the relationship between allergic symptoms and SDQ (both mother and teacher reported) differ by symptom severity?

4. Is the same relationship found with an objective measure of allergy (skin-prick test)?

5. If a relationship between wheeze/rash and SDQ is found, what factors explain this (e.g. poorer sleep patterns, not fitting in with peer group, mother's poorer mental health, medication use).

6. If a relationship between wheeze/rash is found and mental well-being is found, is this specific to allergy or is a similar association found with other child illnesses (e.g. earache)?

Exposure:

Main exposures: mother reported child's wheeze and rash from infancy to school age

Additional exposures: skin prick test for allergy (as an objective measure), and a medical condition unrelated to allergy (e.g. earache) in order to test if any association found is specific to allergy.

Outcomes: Mother and teacher reported SDQ (both the total difficulties score and it's subcomponents will be considered)

Confounders: SES, maternal mental health (during pregnancy and at outcome), maternal allergy, maternal sleep, maternal smoking (during pregnancy and at outcome), child sleep patterns, child medication use, child's experiences at school e.g. bullying, feeling left out.