Caring for Sons with Anorexia: The Perspective of Mothers.

ATTITUDES of mothers; SOCIAL support; PSYCHOLOGY of mothers; RESEARCH methodology; INTERVIEWING; BURDEN of care; QUALITATIVE research; ATTITUDES toward illness; ANOREXIA nervosa; FAMILY relations

Little is known about the experience of caring for a son with anorexia nervosa (AN). Prior research with parents of primarily daughters with AN indicate that they experience significant distress. Ten mothers participated in semi-structured interviews regarding their experiences taking care of a son (between the ages of 11 and 18) who had inpatient treatment for AN within 2 years of the interview and was residing at home. Consensual qualitative research methods were used to analyze the data. Mothers reported challenges accessing and navigating treatment, noting that front-line providers missed their sons' AN because of their gender. Once their sons were diagnosed, mothers continued to experience distress and described negative changes in family relationships, including increased conflict with the diagnosed son, strained sibling relationships, and marital stress. The gender-atypical nature of AN negatively impacted perceived social support. Despite these negative findings, living with AN also offered an opportunity for growth, with some mothers reporting increased closeness with the diagnosed son, greater family unification, and strengthening of the marital bond. Based on these findings, it is recommended that treatment professionals provide greater psychological support and resources to mothers, who often assume primary caregiver responsibilities, and make treatment settings and approaches more gender inclusive. Highlights: Mothers experienced psychological distress, shame, guilt, isolation, self-doubt, and felt blamed by others. Obtaining an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment were perceived to be more difficult, due to their son's gender. Mothers described receiving less social support, which they ascribed to their sons' gender-atypical illness. Mothers reported challenges with healthcare professionals, including pediatricians, who minimized and dismissed their concerns. Validating mothers' concerns and helping them find support may enhance their functioning as caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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