Reactions of parents of children with anorexia and controlling emotions vs. professional and non-professional support

Introduction:
Anorexia increasingly affects younger children, and its treatment is a long-term process in which people suffering from the disease, as well as their caregivers, experience many, often negative emotions. In this context, it is important to support caregivers, especially with information, and to understand their behaviour and emotions. The aim of this study was to study the reactions and emotions experienced by parents of children with anorexia or suspected anorexia, and how they are controlled, as well as their opinions regarding support.

Material and methods:
The study was conducted on 40 parents using a diagnostic survey method, a questionnaire technique, and a scale technique. The author’s survey questionnaire, which included questions about reactions and experienced emotions with regard to the child’s disease and its course, support, and socio-demographic data, and the Courtauld Emotional Control Scale (CECS) adapted by Juczyński, were used to collect data. Statistical analysis was carried out using Statistica 13.3. TIBCO by StatSoft and Statistica 13.1 by StatSoft. The Mann-Whitney U test and Pearson’s χ² test were used. Correlation was determined using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. The level of statistical significance was adopted as p < 0.05.

Results:
Based on the CECS scale, the subjects scored an average of 51.4 points, indicating suppression of negative emotions. Parents of children with anorexia most often experienced anxiety, helplessness, fear, uncertainty, and tension. They experienced problems coping with daily responsibilities, fulfilling the role of mother/father, and pain. It was shown that the parents’ age and the support obtained from medical personnel and family were not related to the control of negative emotions.

Conclusions:
Parents of children with anorexia or suspected anorexia experience many negative emotions and daily problems. Considering the expectations of caregivers and the proper provision of support, there is a need for professionals to assess their emotions prior to therapeutic interventions.