“What is happening to my child?” Parental understanding of the child’s experiences during inpatient treatment of anorexia nervosa, strengthened by cooperation with medical personnels

Abstract

Introduction and objective: During the inpatient treatment of children with anorexia nervosa, their parents are emotionally burdened and, at the same time, responsible for making key medical decisions; thus, the quality of cooperation with medical personnel is crucial for the treatment outcome. This study aimed to investigate how parents understand the child’s experiences in this particular context and how medical staff may support them in this process. Materials and methods: The medical records documenting the hospitalisation of two adolescent patients for anorexia nervosa were reviewed. The families were selected from a larger project studying cooperation with medical staff: one perceived as cooperating in a beneficial way and the other struggling with collaboration. In order to obtain an in-depth understanding of the studied phenomenon, qualitative methods were used, including the comparative case study approach and consensual qualitative research methodology. Results: Comparing the two clinical cases, it was found that the cooperating family and the one struggling with collaboration differed in their understanding of the child (22 vs. 4 in effective attempts and 6 vs. 14 in failure examples). The second parental couple’s comprehension regarded mostly symptoms. Conclusions: The personnel’s multidisciplinary interventions helped the legal guardians to build their understanding. Better parental understanding of the child’s inner world had a beneficial effect on the treatment process.