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The British Journal of Psychiatry (2005) 187: 444-449
© 2005 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Experience of caring for someone with anorexia nervosa: qualitative study

JENNA WHITNEY, BA

Eating Disorders Research Unit, Institute of Psychiatry;

JOANNA MURRAY, BA

Health Services Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry;

KAY GAVAN, QSW, GILL TODD, RMN and WENDY WHITAKER, CQSW

Bethlem Royal Hospital;

JANET TREASURE, FRCPsych

Eating Disorders Research Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK

Correspondence: Jenna Whitney, PO Box 59, Eating Disorders Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF,UK. Tel: +44 (0) 207 188 0169; fax: +44 (0) 207 188 0167; e-mail: j.whitney{at}iop.kcl.ac.uk

Declaration of interest None. Funding detailed in Acknowledgements.

Background Caring for someone with anorexia nervosa is distressing.

Aims To gain a detailed understanding of carers’ illness models and caregiving experiences.

Method Qualitative analysis and computerised text analysis were conducted on narratives written by parents as partof a family intervention at a specialist in-patient unit (20 mothers, 20 fathers).

Results Themes concerned illness perceptions, impact on the family, and carers’emotional, cognitive and behavioural responses towards the illness. Parents perceived anorexia nervosa to be chronic and disabling. Carers blamed themselves as contributing to the illness and perceived themselves as helpless in promoting recovery. Mothers illustrated an intense emotional response, whereas fathers produced a more cognitive and detached account.

Conclusions Part of the distress in living with anorexia nervosa may be explained by unhelpful assumptions and maladaptive responses to the illness. Training parentsin skills to manage the illness mayimprove outcome by reducing interpersonal maintaining factors.


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