Initial examination of virtual support groups as a resource for caregivers of individuals with eating disorders

Eating disorder (ED) caregivers endorse substantial caregiver strain and psychological distress, and without adequate support may struggle to help their loves ones in adaptive ways. Caregiver interventions can be time-intensive and costly, potentially compounding strain, and thus there is need to examine alternative resources such as support groups. Data from 181 participants who attended virtual, clinician-moderated ED caregiver support groups were used to examine associations between past-month group attendance and participation frequency, psychological distress, caregiver strain, and caregiving skill. Adjusting for duration of support group attendance, Pearson partial correlations indicated that attendance frequency was positively related to several aspects of adaptive caregiving while verbal and chat participation frequency were positively related to within-group emotional support, social companionship (i.e. social cohesion), and informational support. Findings suggest that ED caregiver support groups have potential to support caregiver efficacy and provide access to social support, which could mitigate caregiver strain and thus also improve the wellbeing of people with EDs. However, results are preliminary and not an indication that ED caregiver support groups produce changes in wellbeing. Rather, results provide important foundational information that should be used to inform prospective examination of caregiver distress and skill outcomes with support group utilization.