Unge med anoreksi og deres søsken: Hvordan påvirket sykdommen dagliglivet i akuttfasen og ved oppfølging etter ca. 4,5 år

Abstract

Few studies include siblings’ experiences with anorexia nervosa (AN). Aims: Describe patients’ and siblings’ retrospective views on how AN influenced their life in the acute phase of illness and at 4.5-years follow-up. Method: 34 former patients and 13 siblings that had participated in family-based inpatient treatment for AN completed questionnaires at follow-up. Results: Patients reported high, and siblings moderate, levels of negative influences of AN, including schoolwork, leisure, worries and conflicts in the family. The majority of siblings had been afraid their ill sibling would not recover, or die, from AN. However, most former patients and siblings replied that the illness also had provided valuable experiences. Recovery from AN at follow-up was associated with lower levels of negative influences on former patients’ and siblings’ lives. Implications: Knowledge on patients’ and siblings’ experiences is important to improve support and help them to cope with the illness and the resulting family distress. Keywords: anorexia nervosa, eating disorders, follow-up, siblings, influence of illness