Effectiveness of psychoeducation for children, adolescents and caregivers in the treatment of eating disorders: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND

Eating disorders in childhood and adolescence negatively affect many areas of development and functioning of children, adolescents, and their families. Psychoeducation has an important role in management and treatment of eating disorders.

METHODS

A systematic literature review was performed using multiple databases (PsycInfo, PubMed, and Web of Science). The inclusion criteria comprised empirical studies of psychoeducation for patients with eating disorders or their caregivers. The study reporting quality was assessed with the revised Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool and the Standard Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a Variety of Fields for non-randomized studies.

RESULTS

Ten studies met the inclusion criteria, in three of which the interventions were patient-centred and in seven of which the interventions were caregiver-centred. The studies differed in terms of methodology, outcome measures, and quality. The results suggest that psychoeducation is an effective intervention for children, adolescents and caregivers in the treatment of eating disorders. It may lead to weight gain, a decrease in eating disorder symptoms, and a reduction in caregiver burden.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a need for more randomized controlled trials to determine the effectiveness of psychoeducation for children, adolescents and caregivers in treatment of eating disorders.