School of Psychology, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
Eating Disorders Program, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, Perth, Australia.
Eat Behav. 2022 Apr;45:101628. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2022.101628. Epub 2022 Apr 8.
The aim of this study was to investigate carer variables on paediatric eating disorders. We examined whether carer self-compassion, the tendency to treat oneself with kindness during distress and disappointments, was associated with lower carer expressed emotion, and, in turn, whether lower carer expressed emotion would be associated with both higher carer quality of life and lower eating disorder symptoms in young people. Further, we examined whether higher carer quality of life was associated with lower adolescent eating disorder symptoms.
Data were extracted from the Helping out Paediatric Eating Disorders (HOPE) project database. Participants included children and adolescents diagnosed with a DSM5 eating disorder and their primary carer (N of dyads = 359). Primary carers completed the Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-SF), Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q-SF), and the Family Questionnaire-Expressed Emotion (FQ-EE). Children and adolescents completed an adapted version of the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE).
As hypothesised, structural equation modelling (SEM) revealed a direct relationship between higher carer self-compassion and lower expressed emotion, and between lower expressed emotion and both higher carer quality of life and lower eating disorder symptoms. However, contrary to our hypothesis, carer quality of life was not significantly associated with paediatric eating disorder symptoms. Expressed emotion carried significant indirect effects between carer self-compassion and (a) paediatric eating disorder symptoms and (b) carer quality of life.
The results highlight the importance of further research to determine whether targeting carer self-compassion is helpful in the treatment of eating disorders in young people.
本研究旨在探讨照顾者变量对儿科饮食障碍的影响。我们考察了照顾者的自我同情（在痛苦和失望时善待自己的倾向）是否与照顾者表达的情绪减少有关，以及照顾者表达的情绪减少是否与照顾者的生活质量更高和年轻人的饮食障碍症状减轻有关。此外，我们还考察了照顾者的生活质量是否与青少年饮食障碍症状减轻有关。
数据来自“帮助儿科饮食障碍（HOPE）”项目数据库。参与者包括被诊断为 DSM5 饮食障碍的儿童和青少年及其主要照顾者（n 为 359 对）。主要照顾者完成了自我同情量表-简短版（SCS-SF）、生活质量享受和满意度问卷（Q-LES-Q-SF）和家庭问卷-表达情绪（FQ-EE）。儿童和青少年完成了改编版的饮食障碍检查（EDE）。
正如假设的那样，结构方程模型（SEM）显示，照顾者的自我同情与表达的情绪减少之间存在直接关系，表达的情绪减少与照顾者的生活质量更高和饮食障碍症状减轻之间存在直接关系。然而，与我们的假设相反，照顾者的生活质量与儿科饮食障碍症状没有显著关联。表达的情绪在照顾者的自我同情与（a）儿科饮食障碍症状和（b）照顾者的生活质量之间具有显著的间接影响。
研究结果强调了进一步研究的重要性，以确定针对照顾者自我同情是否有助于治疗年轻人的饮食障碍。
