Geller J, Fernandes A, Marshall S, Srikameswaran S
St. Paul's Hospital Eating Disorders Program, 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada.
Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
J Eat Disord. 2024 Nov 23;12(1):191. doi: 10.1186/s40337-024-01140-7.
Unlike evidence-based guidelines that exist for families of youth with eating disorders, little is known about the optimal role for families of adult patients. Given issues of patient autonomy and confidentiality, it is common for family members to report high levels of distress, confusion about how to offer support, and feelings of exclusion. Nevertheless, interactions with parents play a critical role in the recovery process. The purpose of this research was to increase understanding of support experiences of parents of adult children while identifying what they believe to be the most beneficial forms of support.
Sixteen parents of adults who were either recovered or actively engaged in intensive eating disorders treatment participated in semi-structured interviews. Participants were asked to describe the nature of their relationship, beliefs about their child's support needs, and factors that challenged or facilitated their capacity to offer what they deemed as optimal support.
In the context of receiving support and practicing self-care, parents' aspiration shifted from fixing the eating disorder to prioritizing a relational goal of unrelenting connection with their child. Achieving this involved three key skills: managing reactions and expectations, learning boundaries, and practicing validation.
This research highlights the ongoing challenges faced by parents, indicating that interventions aimed at supporting their own well-being and fostering connection with their child may be of benefit.
与存在针对饮食失调青少年家庭的循证指南不同，对于成年患者家庭的最佳角色知之甚少。鉴于患者自主性和保密性问题，家庭成员通常报告高度的痛苦、对如何提供支持感到困惑以及被排斥感。然而，与父母的互动在康复过程中起着关键作用。本研究的目的是增进对成年子女父母支持经历的理解，同时确定他们认为最有益的支持形式。
16名成年子女已康复或正在积极接受饮食失调强化治疗的父母参与了半结构化访谈。参与者被要求描述他们关系的性质、对孩子支持需求的看法，以及挑战或促进他们提供自认为最佳支持能力的因素。
在接受支持和进行自我护理的背景下，父母的愿望从解决饮食失调转变为优先考虑与孩子建立持续联系的关系目标。实现这一目标涉及三项关键技能：管理反应和期望、学习界限以及进行确认。
本研究突出了父母面临的持续挑战，表明旨在支持他们自身幸福并促进与孩子建立联系的干预措施可能有益。
