“I’m not alone”: a qualitative report of experiences among parents of children with eating disorders attending virtual parent-led peer support groups

Journal of Eating Disorders

Research

Danielle Pellegrini¹  Laura Grennan¹  Maria Nicula¹  Jennifer Couturier²  Cheryl Webb²  Techiya Loewen³  Maria-Rosa Gouveia⁴  Erica Crews⁴  Kelly Giuliani⁴ 

[1] McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, L8S 4L8, Hamilton, ON, Canada;McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, L8S 4L8, Hamilton, ON, Canada;McMaster Children’s Hospital, 1200 Main St W, L8N 3Z5, Hamilton, ON, Canada;Phoenix Wings Eating Disorder Recovery Initiative, 872 Devonshire Ave, N4S 5R8, Woodstock, ON, Canada;Reach Out Centre for Kids, 471 Pearl St, L7R 4M4, Burlington, ON, Canada;

关键词: Eating disorders;    Peer support;    Parents;    Caregivers;    Children;    Adolescents;    Virtual;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40337-022-00719-2

 received in 2022-08-08, accepted in 2022-12-07,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe treatment for children with eating disorders (EDs) requires extensive involvement of parents. The parents of children with EDs have voiced a need for greater support, including connecting with other parents with lived experience of caring for a child with an ED. We aimed to qualitatively explore parental experiences of these groups, including their benefits and areas for improvement.MethodsThis study examined the delivery of four virtual parent-led peer support groups in Ontario, Canada for parents of children with EDs with approximately 10 parent participants per group and two parent facilitators leading each group. Parents (n = 44) were asked to attend 12 bi-weekly support group sessions over 6 months, and then complete an individual end-of-study qualitative interview. Interview data were analyzed using content analysis, following the qualitative description design.ResultsThirty-six parents completed the end-of-study qualitative interview. Participants shared their experiences and impressions related to the group’s structure and content. Notable helpful aspects of the group included being able to receive support from those with similar experiences, access to education and resources about EDs, and being able to support others. Suggestions for improvements were made, which included organizing groups according to the child’s ED diagnosis or duration of illness.ConclusionThe findings indicate that this intervention is acceptable to parents and is perceived as helpful. Future research is needed to strengthen this support group model and to study its effects for parents in different settings and for parents of children with various EDs.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04686864.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2022

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