Toward a more comprehensive understanding and support of parents with a child experiencing an eating disorder

A systematic review of eating disorders and family functioning

The purpose of the current review was to address four questions: 1) Are there differences in family functioning or family environment among patients with different eating disorder (ED) diagnoses? 2) Are there differences in the perception of family functioning or family environment among different family members? 3) Is family functioning or family environment related to ED symptomatology? 4) Does family functioning or family environment change as a result of ED treatment? and 4a) If so, does this impact ED treatment outcome? Although most studies found no differences among ED diagnostic groups, those that did generally found worse family functioning among those with binge/purge symptoms than among those with the restricting subtype of anorexia nervosa. Differences in perceptions of family functioning among family members were found, with patients generally reporting worse functioning than their parents. Worse family functioning was generally found to be related to worse ED symptoms. The variety of treatment approaches and different assessments of outcome made it somewhat unclear whether family functioning consistently improves with ED treatment. More research is needed on family functioning and EDs, particularly in understudied groups such as males, and those with ED diagnoses other than anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.

Listening to parents caring for individuals with eating disorders through the lens of the common-sense model of illness perception

Marchetti and Sawrikar (International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2023) used the framework of the Common-Sense Model of the Self-Regulation to explore the perceptions and experiences of parents caring for individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) from a systematic review of the literature. The studies they reviewed delved into the subjective experiences of parents and considered the influence of emotional and cognitive representations of AN which were predominantly negative. Parents play a key role in all stages of the management of an eating disorder and so our commentary sets the findings into the wider context of eating disorder services. It is important that we continue to forge a collaborative approach with parents that addresses their needs and insights to improve our knowledge about, and services for people with eating disorders.

The urgent need for greater parent support and better health system experiences to enhance outcomes for pediatric anorexia nervosa: A Commentary on Marchetti & Sawrikar (2023)

Marchetti and Sawrikar's (2024) systematic review of parent illness representations of their child's anorexia nervosa provides a valuable synthesis of 32 qualitative studies. The key themes that emerge paint a concerning picture of parents' perceptions of AN as: difficult to identify and understand; of chronic duration; uncontrollable; severe; and associated with serious consequences. A sense of hopelessness and low-parental self-efficacy was identified. This Commentary explores the key findings of this review in four areas: AN treatment and recovery (control/cure); emotional representations of the illness; parent understanding of the illness (coherence) and its causes; and consequences of the AN. These illness perceptions are discussed along with relevant quantitative investigations of parent experiences, with a view to suggesting how the toll on parents might be reduced and how reducing burdens on parents might also lead to improved timely treatment outcomes. It is proposed that two broad features are needed: improved help-seeking experiences in the health care system; and, more parent-focussed support.

Characteristics, correlates of burden and support service use of a help-seeking carers of loved ones with an eating disorder

OBJECTIVE

Carers, vital in the care of individuals with an eating disorder (ED), experience substantial caregiving burden and unmet needs. This study aims to identify factors which contribute to the burden experienced by carers of a loved one with an ED and their support service usage.

METHOD

Carers (N = 245) completed an online questionnaire assessing demographic, carer-specific, individual and ED factors. Multivariate relationships with caregiving burden were examined using forwards elimination to produce a parsimonious model of carer burden.

RESULTS

The final model, consisting of caregiving factors (e.g., relationship type, skills), carer mental health) and loved one wellbeing (i.e., purging symptoms, depression/self-harm/suicidality) explained a large proportion (62%) of the variance in carers' burden. Carer mental health, caregiving skills and relationship type (e.g., parent, spouse, sibling) were key predictors of carers' burden. Nearly a third of carers had not used any carer support services, yet most carers expressed an interest in such services.

CONCLUSION

Caregiving burden is determined by experiences and skills of the carer as well as the person they are caring for. Carer support services should continue to address the general wellbeing of carers and caregiver skills. Research into the barriers to carer support uptake is needed.

Striving to support the supporters: A mixed methods evaluation of the strive support groups for caregivers of individuals with an eating disorder

This mixed-methods study evaluated a peer-led support group for ED caregivers; the Eating Disorders Families Australia strive support groups. Quantitatively, 110 past or current strive attendees completed an online survey assessing their own and their care recipients' demographic profiles, strive's impact on caregiving experiences, and caregivers' psychological distress, burden, caregiving skills and self-efficacy. Qualitative assessment comprised open-ended survey questions about caregivers' strive experiences, reinforced by in-depth focus group assessment of nine participants. Quantitative analyses revealed that participants felt more confident and supported, and less isolated in their caregiving since attending strive. Caregivers displayed mid-range psychological distress and caregiver burden, and moderate caregiver skills and self-efficacy. Qualitatively, the most helpful aspects of strive were the shared experience among participants, education, and support. The most difficult elements were emotional distress and overly dominant members. Reflections discussed the necessity of caregiver support and factors impacting strive attendance. Participants recommended resuming face-to-face contact and differentiating groups based on participant characteristics (e.g. care recipients' age/stage of illness). The current findings provide support for the importance and overall positive contribution of support groups led by caregivers, such as strive.

The financial and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth with eating disorders, their families, clinicians and the mental health system: a mixed methods cost analysis

BACKGROUND

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has had an adverse impact on children, youth, and families with eating disorders (EDs). The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing personal and financial costs to youth, caregivers, and health professionals accessing or delivering ED services. The objectives of this mixed methods study were to (1) understand the indirect, direct medical and non-medical costs reported by youth, caregivers, and clinicians; (2) understand how the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted these costs, and (3) explore implications of these costs with regards to barriers and resources to inform future decisions for the ED system of care.

METHODS

Youth (aged 16-25 years) with lived/living experience, primary caregivers, clinicians, and decision-makers were recruited with support from various partners across Canada to complete group specific surveys. A total of 117 participants responded to the survey. From those respondents, 21 individuals volunteered to further participate in either a discussion group or individual interview to provide additional insights on costs.

RESULTS

Youth and primary caregivers reported costs relating to private services, transportation and impacts of not attending school or work. Additionally, primary caregivers reported the top direct medical cost being special food or nutritional supplements (82.8%). In discussion groups, youth and caregivers elaborated further on the challenges with long waitlists and cancelled services, impact on siblings and effect on family dynamics. Clinicians and decision-makers reported increased work expectations (64.3%) and fear/isolation due to COVID-19 in the workplace (58.9%). Through discussion groups, clinicians expanded further on the toll these expectations took on their personal life. Approximately 1 in 3 health professionals reported contemplating leaving their position in 1-2 years, with greater than 60% of this group stating this is directly related to working during the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings demonstrate the need for increased support for youth and caregivers when accessing ED services both during crisis and non-crisis times. Additionally, attention must be given to acknowledging the experience of health professionals to support better retention and resource management as they continue to navigate challenges in the health care system.

Sensory processing across eating disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of self-report inventories

OBJECTIVE

This review investigated the extant literature regarding the relationship between eating disorder diagnoses and sensory processing as measured by validated and reliable self-report inventories. Increasing evidence highlights the role of sensory processing in cognitive functions. Sensory processing is implicated in mental-ill health, including eating disorders (ED) and body image disturbances. However, the pathophysiological underpinnings of sensory processing, encompassing exteroception and interoception, in relation to ED remain underexplored.

METHOD

We included studies involving participants aged 15 years or older with an eating disorder diagnosis confirmed by semi-structured or structured interviews. We further limited inclusion to articles using validated and reliable self-report instruments to measure sensory processing. Our meta-analysis focused on studies using the interoceptive awareness subscale from the second version of the Eating Disorder Inventory. We used the Critical Appraisal checklist for quasi-experimental studies to assess the quality of included articles.

RESULTS

There were 19 studies that met our inclusion criteria. Most studies showed moderate-to-high quality. Anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) were associated with heightened exteroception. Moreover, people with AN reported a heightened sense of taste compared to those with BN. Our meta-analysis comprising 10 studies, 19 samples, and 6382 participants revealed that AN (binge-purge subtype) and BN were associated with increased interoceptive difficulties compared to AN (restrictive subtype) or binge-eating disorder.

DISCUSSION

Overall, this review emphasizes the need for a deeper investigation into sensory processing, spanning both exteroception and interoception, in relation to ED. This may prove important for individualizing person-centered care.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE

How people process internal, for example, hunger, and external, for example, taste and sensations is known to influence cognition and mental-ill health, including ED and body image disturbances. However, the ways in which sensory processing may contribute to ED are incompletely understood. We found that individuals with AN or BN experienced heightened exteroception, while people with an eating disorder characterized by purging reported increased interoceptive difficulties. These patterns could inform the development of more personalized treatments.

How best to support parents of children with an eating disorder: A commentary on Wilksch (2023)

Wilksch (2023) uses survey data to characterize the perspective of caregivers of children who have undergone treatment for an eating disorder. With this framework, the author presents an evocative view of both the challenges these parents experience in acquiring needed specialty treatment, as well as the negative impact that the caregiving role may have on their own well-being. Altogether, this Forum underscores the unquestionable importance of not overlooking the practical and emotional needs of caregivers of youth with eating disorders, and presents a compelling call to action for our field to better support parents who navigate treatment for these challenging illnesses.

The parents aren't alright, either: Commentary on Wilksch (2023)

Eating disorders (EDs) present high costs to the individual and society, and need for services far surpasses their availability. Caregivers are often on the "front lines" of managing their child's illness yet may have very little support to sustain them in this role. It is well-established that caregiver burden related to EDs is high, although most research has focused on caregivers of adult patients. Wilksch describes the need for additional attention to caregivers of children and adolescents with EDs, given the elevated psychological, interpersonal, and financial burden incurred on this segment of the population. In this commentary, we describe three major gaps in service delivery and research that may exacerbate caregiver stress: (1) limited exploration of "nontraditional" delivery modalities that could enhance access to care; (2) lack of research into viability of caregiver peer coaching/support models including respite resources; and (3) scarcity of accessible ED training for healthcare providers (particularly physicians) which increases length to receipt of competent care as families search for well-trained providers and/or languish on waitlists. We propose prioritizing additional research in these areas to help alleviate caregiver burden associated with pediatric EDs, and facilitate delivery of prompt, comprehensive, and competent care to support optimal prognosis.

Extending single-session interventions to target parents as agents of change in adolescent eating disorders

Schleider et al. (2023, International Journal of Eating Disorders, current issue) propose multiple applications of single-session intervention (SSI) models to the eating disorders (EDs) intervention spectrum. In this commentary, we propose extending the potential of SSIs to target parents as agents of change for youth with restrictive EDs, particularly anorexia nervosa (AN). Directing SSIs to parents of children with AN can circumvent psychological barriers to care while capitalizing on the unique level of motivation in a parent to protect a child and advance their capacity to thrive. Key design components of effective SSIs map well onto the core principles of family-based treatment (FBT), which can be distilled to inform the development of SSIs for parents of youth at risk or exhibiting emerging or diagnostic AN. The participatory action research framework highlighted by Schleider et al. (2023) speaks to the importance of developing SSIs using co-design methodologies with parents. Doing so reflects the FBT principle of parent empowerment, acknowledges the research on parental self-efficacy as a mediator of FBT, and recognizes parents as both key stakeholders in the prevention and treatment of child and adolescent EDs, and as the intended recipients of the SSIs created for this population. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: Schleider et al. (2023, International Journal of Eating Disorders, current issue) propose multiple applications of single-session intervention (SSI) models to eating disorders (EDs). In this commentary, we extend the potential of SSIs to target parents as agents of change for youth with restrictive EDs. Parent-focused SSIs can circumvent psychological barriers to care while capitalizing on the unique level of motivation in a parent to advance their child's capacity to thrive.