A qualitative evaluation of team and family perceptions of family-based treatment delivered by videoconferencing (FBT-V) for adolescent Anorexia Nervosa during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Plain English summary Family-Based Treatment—the leading outpatient treatment for children and adolescents with eating disorders—rapidly transitioned to virtual delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic in many programs. This study qualitatively describes the perceptions and experiences of teams and families related to the first four sessions of Family-Based Treatment delivered via videoconferencing (FBT-V) during the COVID-19 pandemic, using end-of-study focus groups. Our findings suggest that FBT-V is generally well-received amongst these stakeholders. Therapists found that implementing FBT-V was relatively seamless, and families described the convenience and comfort of sessions taking place virtually in their own homes. However, therapists revealed concerns of distractions in family homes impacting sessions, and families had some difficulties in developing therapeutic rapport. As a result, additional modes of delivering Family-Based Treatment should be explored to address challenges present in virtual care. This might include hybrid models of treatment delivery, involving a combination of in-person and virtual sessions.

Keywords

• Eating disorders
• Anorexia Nervosa
• Virtual care
• Family-based treatment
• COVID-19
• Therapists