Affiliation:
1. Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
2. University of California San Francisco
Abstract
Abstract
Purpose
Caregivers play a pivotal role in the success of family-based treatment (FBT) for anorexia nervosa (AN). Caregiver burden is frequently demonstrated in eating disorders (EDs) and may impact FBT outcomes. This study examined factors associated with caregiver burden at the start of FBT and whether caregiver burden was associated with treatment dropout and weight gain over the course of FBT.
Methods
Participants included 126 adolescents with AN (mean age = 15.59 years, SD = 1.41) and a primary caregiver (89.9% mothers) who received FBT at a pediatric medical center in the United States. Hierarchical regressions examined whether caregiver anxiety and depression, ED severity, adolescent history of mental health treatment, and family history of EDs predicted caregiver burden at the start of treatment. ANOVAs assessed whether caregiver burden was greater among caregivers of adolescents who dropped out of FBT within 3-months. Finally, associations between caregiver burden and adolescent weight gain at 3- and 6-months after starting FBT were also examined with hierarchical regressions.
Results
Caregiver anxiety (p < .001), adolescent history of mental health treatment (p = .024), and family history of EDs (p = .028) predicted significantly greater caregiver burden at the start of FBT. Caregivers of patients who dropped out of FBT reported greater burden than caregivers of patients who did not dropout (p = .030). Caregiver burden at the start of FBT did not significantly predict weight gain at 3- and 6- months.
Conclusion
Findings suggest the importance of assessing caregiver burden at the start of FBT and provide preliminary support for targeting caregiver well-being to reduce FBT dropout rates.
Level of Evidence:
Level III, case-control analytic study.
Publisher
Research Square Platform LLC