Project EMPOWER-ED: A Pilot Study of an Online Single-Session Intervention for Caregivers of Youth Hospitalized with Anorexia Nervosa

Objective: Caregivers play a crucial role in the treatment of children and adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN), but often report uncertainty about how to respond effectively to the illness, particularly during transitions from higher to lower levels of care. Single-session interventions (SSIs) offer a promising approach to addressing this gap while minimizing burden on caregivers during this particularly stressful period of time. This study describes the feasibility and acceptability of a brief web-based caregiver SSI targeting accommodation of eating disorder behaviors. Method: Participants included caregivers of patients admitted for inpatient medical stabilization treatment of AN. Prior to their child’s discharge, caregivers completed surveys and the Project EMPOWER-ED SSI. Result: Feasibility of Project EMPOWER-ED was high, with 89% of possible participants enrolling and completing the intervention along with pre-to-post questionnaires, and of those, 72% providing optional qualitative feedback. On a 5-point scale, caregivers reported a 0.48-point (SD=1.01) increase in their preparedness to help their child manage eating disorder-related distress and a 0.56-point (SD=0.87) increase in their ability to manage their child’s eating disorder-related distress, from pre- to post-intervention. Overall, caregivers found the intervention to be highly acceptable, with qualitative feedback highlighting a number of likely contributors, including practical content, feeling validated, and the digital, self-guided format. Discussion: Overall, results suggested that Project EMPOWER-ED had high uptake and completion rates, high overall ratings of acceptability, and promising preliminary changes on measures of caregivers’ perceived preparedness to tolerate their child’s distress.