Self-Efficacy and Accommodation Behaviors in Caregivers of Youths With Eating Disorders

Objective: Caregiver factors are important predictors of treatment outcome in pediatric eating disorders. Yet, the literature is predominantly focused on caregivers of cisgender girls and women. This study assessed caregiver accommodation and self-efficacy in families of youth across gender who were in treatment for an eating disorder. Method: The sample included caregivers of cisgender boys ( n = 20), cisgender girls ( n = 18), and trans youths (e.g., transgender, gender diverse, and nonbinary; n = 5). We examined baseline differences in caregiver accommodation and self-efficacy, and also assessed treatment-related changes of these caregiver factors. Results: Accommodating behaviors at baseline were higher in caregivers of cisgender girls than caregivers of cisgender boys. Caregiver self-efficacy increased over treatment, though this effect was only significant for caregivers of cisgender girls. Conclusions: Differences in caregiver factors across youth gender emerged, which may inform development of caregiver interventions for pediatric eating disorders, and adaptations that may need to be considered for caregivers of cisgender boys.