Julian Baudinet, Ivan Eisler, Anna Konstantellou, Tammy Hunt, Fatema Kassamali, Natalie McLaughlin, Mima Simic, Ulrike Schmidt

Perceived change mechanisms in multi‐family therapy for anorexia nervosa: A qualitative follow‐up study of adolescent and parent experiences

  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Clinical Psychology
Save to CiteDrive Show PDF

AbstractObjectiveMulti‐family therapy (MFT‐AN) is a promising group‐based treatment for adolescent anorexia nervosa. This study aimed to explore how young people and parents perceived change to occur during MFT treatment.MethodsYoung people (10–18 years) diagnosed with anorexia nervosa or atypical anorexia nervosa and their parents who completed MFT‐AN alongside family therapy for anorexia nervosa within the preceding 2 years were eligible for this study. Semi‐structured qualitative interviews were conducted. Recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsTwenty‐three participants (8 young people, 10 mothers and 5 fathers) completed interviews. Five main themes were identified; (1) Powerful connection, (2) Intensity, (3) New learning and perspective shifts, (4) Comparisons, and (5) Discharge is not recovery. There was a strong sense that being with others in a similar position in an intense environment were key factors in promoting change. Comparisons were inevitable and could promote insight and foster motivation, but could also be unhelpful at times. Participants spoke about how recovery continues beyond service use and requires ongoing attention and support.ConclusionsThrough the mechanisms of connection, intensity, new learning and comparisons change is perceived to occur in MFT‐AN. Some of these are considered unique to this treatment format.

Need a simple solution for managing your BibTeX entries? Explore CiteDrive!

  • Web-based, modern reference management
  • Collaborate and share with fellow researchers
  • Integration with Overleaf
  • Comprehensive BibTeX/BibLaTeX support
  • Save articles and websites directly from your browser
  • Search for new articles from a database of tens of millions of references
Try out CiteDrive

More from our Archive