Brief family-based treatment (FBT) for parents/caregivers of youth with anorexia nervosa: lessons learned from a multi-method pilot study

Family-based treatment (FBT) is the recommended approach for adolescents with eating disorders (EDs), but long waitlists hinder its delivery. This study aimed to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a brief 5-week outpatient FBT psychoeducation group for parents/caregivers of adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN). The secondary aim of this study was to examine its preliminary effectiveness of increasing parental self-efficacy and decreasing expressed emotion and accommodation of the eating disorder. Eighteen parents/caregivers of adolescents (<i>n</i> = 9; aged 9-18) with AN were recruited. Parental accommodation, parental self-efficacy, and expressed emotion were assessed at baseline, end of treatment (week 5), and 1-month follow-up (week 9). Qualitative interviews were collected weekly. Quantitative results were analysed using linear mixed modelling, while qualitative interviews underwent reflexive thematic analysis. Numerical evaluation of feasibility/acceptability included rates of enrollment, retention, and attendance. Parental self-efficacy significantly improved during treatment, with gains sustained at 1-month follow-up (<i>p</i> < .001). Parental accommodation also significantly decreased across treatment (<i>p</i> < .001) but significantly resurfaced at 1-month follow-up (<i>p</i> = .001). Qualitative results demonstrated high acceptability of the group; participants found this intervention to be helpful and better equipped them to address their child's ED after group completion. Feasibility/acceptability metrics showed moderate enrollment (75%), high retention (94.4%), and attendance (97%). A modified 5-week FBT group for parents/caregivers of adolescents with AN shows preliminary feasibility and acceptability, informing future FBT treatment planning and service provision for ED providers.