Parent skills training treatment for parents of children and adolescents with eating disorders: A qualitative study

Objective This study examined the experience of parents of children with eating disorders after having participated in a skills-based training intervention. Method Eleven parents were interviewed and transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results Parent responses were organised around key themes of (1) effectiveness and acceptability of the intervention; (2) interpersonal experience of the group process; and (3) feedback on intervention content. Overall, the transfer of specialist skills was highly valued by parents and applied within the home and hospital setting. Discussion This study contributes preliminary evidence that skills-based training may improve parent self-efficacy, psychological distress, anxiety, and burden. This intervention can also be a cost-effective method for supporting carers, and future research is required to contribute data on treatment efficacy for patients in addition to parents. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.