Open Collections

MacKenzie, Meredith Carlisle

University of British Columbia

Caregiver-led meal support, a critical component of family-based therapy (FBT), is designed to promote weight restoration among adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN). Although FBT has proven effective in reducing severe medical symptoms and hospitalizations, it has faced criticism for potentially neglecting the cognitive and emotional aspects of the disorder while prioritizing behavioral and physical recovery. Additionally, the normative trajectory of adolescents toward greater autonomy can exacerbate caregiver-adolescent conflicts, complicating the caregiver-led approach. This study utilized the Action-Project Method (APM) to investigate how caregivers and adolescents with AN navigate meal support and weight restoration through collaborative, goal-directed efforts. Data from caregiver interviews revealed that participants engaged in joint actions and goals to manage the adolescent’s emotional dysregulation during meals, sustain their relationship amidst meal support conflicts, address the adolescent’s growing independence, and gradually shift meal responsibilities to the adolescent. Participants consistently noted that COVID-19 pandemic-related service closures hindered their child’s recovery. Additionally, a subset of participants reported unique challenges related to managing concurrent mental health issues, transitioning out of FBT, and dealing with a sibling’s AN diagnosis. These findings underscore the complexity of AN recovery and highlight the importance of focusing on the caregiver-adolescent relationship in treatment planning.

Text

2025-04-14

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/90658

Counselling Psychology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/