A controlled study of the Collaborative Care Skills Workshops versus Psycho-educational Workshops among Spanish caregivers of relatives with an eating disorder

摘要

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that a negative reaction to the illness would be reduced through the "Collaborative Care Skills Workshops" programme among Spanish caregivers of relatives with an eating disorder. Caregivers were randomly allocated to either the skill-based workshops (n = 32) or psycho-educational workshops (n = 31), and assessments were carried out over time (T-0 vs. T-1 vs. T-2). There were no significant differences between interventions on primary or secondary caregiver outcomes or among the patients themselves. However, caregivers in both interventions showed greater improvement at T-2 on accommodating and enabling behaviours and an improvement at T-1 in terms of psychological distress and appraisals towards the caregiving experience. Eating pathology, psychological distress, and some indices of psychosocial adjustment were significantly lower among the patients following both interventions (T-1). Overall, both interventions may be able to help caregivers and patients to decrease their psychological distress. Highlights