Investigating self-blame and trauma symptoms in parents of young people with anorexia nervosa

Background: Caring for a young person with anorexia nervosa (AN) has been associated with psychological distress and found to be a traumatic experience. This can have an impact on patient and family outcomes.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether self-blame cognitions contribute to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in parents of young people with AN.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was used. One hundred and twenty-three parents of young people with AN completed a range of questionnaires assessing self-blame cognitions and PTSD symptoms.

Results: Overall, levels of self-blame cognitions were significantly higher in those experiencing higher levels of PTSD symptoms compared to low levels. Additionally, levels of self-blame cognitions significantly predicted PTSD symptoms over and above demographic factors and illness severity, accounting for 22% of unique variance in PTSD symptoms.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that negative appraisals regarding self-blame for their child's eating disorder contributed to the potential maintenance of PTSD symptoms. Parents presenting with thoughts of self-blame would benefit from further support to reduce these feelings and, subsequently, reduce carer distress.