Fysioterapeuten (Mar 2024)
Adolescents with severe anorexia nervosa in specialized healthcare - patients’ perspectives with experiences from Norwegian Psychomotor Physiotherapy
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to shed light on the experience of adolescents with severe anorexia nervosa with Norwegian Psychomotor Physiotherapy in the specialist healthcare. Design: The study has a qualitative research design Method: Adolescents (aged 12-18) with severe anorexia nervosa, who had attended psychomotor physiotherapy in specialist healthcare, were recruited. Six girls aged 14-16 were included. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed with systematic text condensation and discussed in light of Benjamin's intersubjective relational theory. Findings: The analysis led to two categories of results: "Bodily and linguistic interaction as a source of insight" and "Bodily experiences as aids in everyday life". The findings showed how the adolescents experienced the interaction with the physiotherapist during the treatment. Conclusion: The treatment gave the adolescents the opportunities to explore their own subjectivity through the bodily and verbal interaction with the physiotherapist, in what Benjamin refers to as thirdness. They gained insight and a better contact with their own bodies and needs, insight and experiences they transferred to their everyday lives. Security and recognition were crucial for the change and development. The treatment approach offered something complementary and different from the other treatments in the specialist healthcare. In light of Benjamins’s theory, the bodily psychomotor approach appears as a resource-oriented aid in tolerating strict restrictions and dietary regimens that the adolescents had to undergo. The study highlights the potential contributions of psychomotor physiotherapy in interdisciplinary treatment of adolescents with eating disorders.
