Do parent factors predict early weight gain in family therapy for anorexia nervosa? Revisiting variables in a community treatment sample

Abstract

Objective: It is unclear why some children and adolescents respond well to family therapy for anorexia nervosa (AN) and others do not. Previous exploratory studies have suggested that parent variables may be important in early treatment change. This study aimed to investigate if parental self-efficacy, distress tolerance and family accommodation were associated with weight gain in a community sample. As there is variability in how parental self-efficacy is measured in eating disorder research, the study also sought to answer whether the two primary questionnaires used were correlated. Method: Fifty-five patients with a diagnosis of AN and 89 parents were recruited from a community treatment service. Parents completed self-efficacy, distress tolerance and family accommodation questionnaires at assessment. Patient clinical data was collected routinely during treatment. Results: No parent variables predicted early weight change. Moreover, scores from the two commonly used measures of self-efficacy in parents did not appear to be correlated. Parents could tolerate significantly more distress in themselves than in their children. Conclusions: There remains no well-established, modifiable predictors of outcome in treatment for AN. It may be beneficial to reach a consensus on the best measure for parental self-efficacy for use in AN research.