Abstract
PurposeThis study aimed to explore how parents of young people with a restrictive eating disorder (ED) experience and manage uncertainty.MethodsSeventeen parents of young people with a restrictive ED were recruited from multi-family therapy groups run within a specialised ED clinic. Five focus groups were conducted asking parents about their experience of uncertainty both prior and after the onset of their child’s illness.ResultsData were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis which yielded seven superordinate themes. (1) Anorexia nervosa and uncertainty, (2) Positive and negative experiences of uncertainty (3), Helpful and unhelpful ways of coping with uncertainty, (4) Parent’s self-efficacy and uncertainty (5), Needs of parents, (6) Parents’ perceptions of intolerance of uncertainty in their children and (7) Impact of uncertainty on family life.ConclusionParents caring for young people with a restrictive ED exhibit a strong intolerance of uncertainty, particularly in relation to their child’s illness. This ‘negative uncertainty’ was thought to reduce their confidence as parents in how they managed their child’s ED. Targeting high levels of intolerance of uncertainty in parents caring for young people with an ED could be beneficial for supporting parents when faced with their child’s illness, increasing parental self-efficacy, decreasing accommodating behaviours and ultimately contributing to improved treatment outcomes.Level of evidenceLevel V: Opinions of authorities, based on descriptive studies, narrative reviews, clinical experience, or reports of expert committees.
Highlights
Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) has been defined as a personality trait that is future orientated and results in a cognitive bias regarding uncertainty and its implications [1]
Targeting high levels of intolerance of uncertainty in parents caring for young people with an eating disorder (ED) could be beneficial for supporting parents when faced with their child’s illness, increasing parental self-efficacy, decreasing accommodating behaviours and contributing to improved treatment outcomes
IU was initially developed within the anxiety literature and later on became part of the IU model for generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) [3]
Summary
Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) has been defined as a personality trait that is future orientated and results in a cognitive bias regarding uncertainty and its implications [1]. It suggests that individuals who are “intolerant of uncertainty”. IU was initially developed within the anxiety literature and later on became part of the IU model for generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) [3] According to this model, IU is implicated in the development and maintenance of worry, the main symptom of GAD, by propelling “what if...” questions, in both adults [4] and adolescents [5]. A recent study found changes in IU to result in an increase of DSM-V incidence of psychological disorders [9]
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