Stress
Stress
Family caregivers of an adolescent with eating disorders are overwhelmed when caring for their sick child. The reasons that lead caregivers to severe stress levels are: concerns about their children’s well-being, parents’ time and energy needs to oversee meals, treatment costs, meeting the needs of other family members, signs malnutrition, social stigmatization, frequent attitudes and behaviors of sick children, and mood swings of the sick person.
Counseling about the disease itself can play an important role in determining caregivers’ behavioral and affective responses. That said, it is important to share information with family caregivers about: how to cope; empower parents to manage disease and teach strategies to reduce inappropriate interpersonal behaviors.