Needs Assessment of Individualized Peer Support for Families with Eating Disorders

Abstract

Abstract BackgroundPeer support among family members is important in cases of mental illness, but there has been limited practice or research on individual peer support specific to families with eating disorders (EDs). To conduct peer support activities, it is necessary to clarify the needs of families for peer support.ObjectivesThe objectives of this study are to identify the following:1. the needs for group and individual peer support,2. the characteristics of family members who are willing to receive individual peer support, and3. the characteristics of family members willing to provide individual peer support.MethodA cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted for family members with EDs.The questionnaires included demographic information on respondents and their patients, questions about the need for family peer support, interest in studying or offering peer support, social resources, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (J-ZBI_8), the Anorectic Behavior Observation Scale (ABOS).ResultsOut of 314 respondents, 87.3% believed that a group peer support system was necessary, whereas 56.7% believed that an individual peer support system was necessary. As to whether they want to use individual peer support, 70 (22.4%) stated “Extremely YES,” 99 (31.7%) stated “Moderately YES,” 100 (32.1%) stated “undecided,” 30 (9.6%) stated “Moderately NO,” and 13 (4.2%) stated “NO” (4.2%). Family members who are willing to receive individual peer support have poor mental health and a high care burden, and they make heavy use of existing social resources. Regarding the provision of peer support, 38 (12.2%) responded “very interested and willing to provide it if possible,” 87 (27.9%) responded “interested and willing to study,” and 165 (52.9%) responded “interested but cannot afford to training.” Although patients of family members who were willing to provide peer support were likely to recover, it was suggested that family members themselves were not always mentally healthy, thereby indicating the need for professional support in training peer supporters.ConclusionIndividualized peer support can be a useful option in supporting families with EDs. Training for potential peer supporters is needed to implement peer support.