Mothers’ Experiences of Home Treatment for Adolescents With Anorexia Nervosa: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract

Home treatment (HT) is emerging as an alternative to admission for adolescents with anorexia nervosa. It relies heavily on parental (often maternal) input to be effective. Given the high levels of carer stress reported by mothers, the current study aimed to explore mothers’ experience of HT. A qualitative study using purposeful sampling was conducted. Nine interviews were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Two contextual themes described the mother-daughter relationship and maternal stress and distress prior to HT. The third theme, “experience of help,” included sub-themes of when help is needed, the need for containment, gaining strength and skills, and how HT met families’ philosophy and values. The results support previous research on the stress that mothers particularly are under when their adolescent daughters have anorexia nervosa, and provides rich data on their experiences. HT is perceived as having both helpful and unhelpful aspects. Further research on its effectiveness is needed.