Social Work and attention to the social dimension of eating disorders: an international systematic review

ABSTRACT

Social Work addresses the social dimension of the person, which must be taken into account to promote a comprehensive approach to eating disorders. Under this consideration, we have tried to synthesise and analyze the available evidence of the role of Social Work and social intervention in eating disorders through an international systematic review. The systematic review followed the PRISMA standards, and a narrative synthesis analysis was generated. We searched the databases Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed y Cochchrane. 501 references were found, and a total of 19 articles that met the quality indicators were analyzed, in which the following categories related to eating disorders were found: types of interventions and Social Work in eating disorders, sociodemographic aspects to be considered, clinical particularities to be contemplated, attention to the family system and the support network, ethical aspects, and barriers and needs of the disease to be covered. The need for Social Work to delve into the particularities and consequences of eating disorders to make a social diagnosis and address the social dimension is highlighted. To date, the discipline has little specific literature on the subject, which is a professional challenge to be met.

RESUMEN

El Trabajo Social presta atención a la dimensión social de la persona, lo que debe tenerse presente para favorecer un abordaje integral de los trastornos de la conducta alimentaria. Bajo esta consideración se ha pretendido sintetizar y analizar la evidencia disponible del papel del Trabajo Social y la intervención social ante los trastornos alimentarios, a través de una revisión sistemática internacional. La revisión ha seguido los estándares PRISMA y se ha desarrollado un análisis de síntesis narrativa. Se realizaron búsquedas en las bases de datos Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed y Cochchrane. Fueron encontradas 501 referencias y se analizaron un total de 19 artículos que cumplían con los indicadores de calidad, en los que se encontraron las siguientes categorías relacionadas con los trastornos de la conducta alimentaria: tipos de intervenciones y acompañamiento social de la enfermedad, aspectos sociodemográficos a considerar, particularidades clínicas a contemplar, atención al sistema familiar y a la red de apoyo, aspectos éticos y barreras y necesidades de la enfermedad a cubrir. Destaca la necesidad de que el Trabajo Social profundice en las particularidades y consecuencias de los trastornos de la alimentación, para poder así realizar un diagnóstico social y una atención a la dimensión social. Hasta el momento la disciplina cuenta con escasa literatura específica sobre el tema, lo que supone un reto profesional al que darle respuesta.

KEYWORDS:

• Systematic review
• eating disorders
• Social Work
• mental health

PALABRAS CLAVE:

• revisión sistemática
• trastornos de la conducta alimentaria
• Trabajo Social
• salud mental

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Research carried out with the help of the University of Vigo for the recruitment of predoctoral research staff in training (PREUVIGO-19), and with the help of the Ministry of Universities of Spain for the recruitment of predoctoral research staff in training (FPU20/06120).

Notes on contributors

Paula Frieiro

Paula Frieiro M.Sc., social worker, is a PhD student and pre-doctoral fellow in the Department of Psycho-socio-educational Analysis and Intervention, at the University of Vigo, Spain. Her research considers the relationship between social media and adolescent mental health, in addition to other issues related to Social Work, such as the elderly, disabilities and education.

Rubén González-Rodríguez

Rubén González-Rodríguez PhD, is a full professor and researcher in Social Work at the University of Vigo, Spain. Coordinator and researcher of projects, has numerous conferences, published books and journal articles. His interest areas are intervention studies, social services, mental health assistance, health services for people with disabilities and disability evaluation.

José Domínguez-Alonso

José Domínguez-Alonso PhD, is professor of Applied Statistics, Social Sciences and Social Research Methods and Techniques in the Degree of Social Work at the University of Vigo, Spain. His priority lines of research are attention to diversity, mental health, school violence, motivation and emotional intelligence.

Breogán Riobóo-Lois

Breogán Riobóo-Lois M.Sc., social worker, is a PhD student and pre-doctoral fellow in the Spanish Ministry of Universities. He is part of the Department of Psycho-socio-educational Analysis and Intervention of the University of Vigo, Spain. His line of research focuses on the promotion of personal autonomy and independent living of people with functional diversity or in a situation of dependence, as well as the role of Social Work in this field.