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

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Title: Initial examination of virtual support groups as a resource for caregivers of individuals with eating disorders.
Authors: Murray, Matthew F. (AUTHOR), Kandel, Johanna S. (AUTHOR), Rifkin, Rachel (AUTHOR), Hendelman, Joann (AUTHOR), Tsen, Jonathan (AUTHOR), Haedt-Matt, Alissa A. (AUTHOR)
Source: Eating Disorders. Jul/Aug2026, Vol. 34 Issue 4, p380-396. 17p.
Subjects: Support groups, Health self-care, Cross-sectional method, Research funding, Mothers, Emotional intelligence, Statistical sampling, Anxiety, Descriptive statistics, Eating disorders, Telemedicine, Burden of care, Fathers, Psychological stress, Communication, Psychology of caregivers, Social support, Data analysis software, Mental depression, Social isolation
Abstract: 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Eating Disorders is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Initial examination of virtual support groups as a resource for caregivers of individuals with eating disorders.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Murray%2C+Matthew+F%2E%22">Murray, Matthew F.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kandel%2C+Johanna+S%2E%22">Kandel, Johanna S.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rifkin%2C+Rachel%22">Rifkin, Rachel</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hendelman%2C+Joann%22">Hendelman, Joann</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tsen%2C+Jonathan%22">Tsen, Jonathan</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Haedt-Matt%2C+Alissa+A%2E%22">Haedt-Matt, Alissa A.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Eating+Disorders%22">Eating Disorders</searchLink>. Jul/Aug2026, Vol. 34 Issue 4, p380-396. 17p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Support+groups%22">Support groups</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Health+self-care%22">Health self-care</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cross-sectional+method%22">Cross-sectional method</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+funding%22">Research funding</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mothers%22">Mothers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Emotional+intelligence%22">Emotional intelligence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Statistical+sampling%22">Statistical sampling</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Anxiety%22">Anxiety</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Descriptive+statistics%22">Descriptive statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Eating+disorders%22">Eating disorders</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Telemedicine%22">Telemedicine</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Burden+of+care%22">Burden of care</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fathers%22">Fathers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychological+stress%22">Psychological stress</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Communication%22">Communication</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychology+of+caregivers%22">Psychology of caregivers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+support%22">Social support</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Data+analysis+software%22">Data analysis software</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+depression%22">Mental depression</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+isolation%22">Social isolation</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Eating Disorders is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=194842789
RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/10640266.2025.2489864
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 17
        StartPage: 380
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Support groups
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Health self-care
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cross-sectional method
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research funding
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mothers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Emotional intelligence
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Statistical sampling
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Anxiety
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Descriptive statistics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Eating disorders
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Telemedicine
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      – SubjectFull: Burden of care
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      – SubjectFull: Fathers
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      – SubjectFull: Psychological stress
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      – SubjectFull: Communication
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      – SubjectFull: Psychology of caregivers
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      – SubjectFull: Social support
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      – SubjectFull: Data analysis software
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      – SubjectFull: Mental depression
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      – SubjectFull: Social isolation
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    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Initial examination of virtual support groups as a resource for caregivers of individuals with eating disorders.
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              M: 07
              Text: Jul/Aug2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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