Parents´ participation in skills-based training workshops: a qualitative examination of the perspective of adolescents with an eating disorder

Objective: This study examined the perspective of adolescent outpatients with an eating disorder on their parents´ participation in skills-based training workshops inspired by the New Maudsley Method.
Method: Two focus groups with adolescent outpatients were conducted. One prior to the workshops exploring the expectations, hopes and resistance associated with their parents´ participation and one after the workshops, exploring the associated changes experienced by the adolescents. Participants were selected consecutively as their parents attended the workshops. The qualitative data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive content analysis.
Results: The preliminary findings indicate that the adolescents had both concerned and hopeful attitudes towards their parents participation and that the workshops had positive effects on the parents approach to the adolescents and the eating disorder symptoms. The positive perceptions of the effects are congruent with the aim of the skills-based training workshops and thereby support the continued justification of skills-based training in eating disorder treatment.
Discussion: The involvement of parents in skills-based training workshops may improve the parent-adolescent relationship and may have beneficial effects on the family climate. The skills-based training workshops can be considered as a promising treatment adjunct to conventional eating disorder treatment. This study contributes to preliminary evidence that skills-based training serves as an effective method to bring parents and adolescents on the same page in overcoming the challenges in everyday life with an eating disorder.