NCT05151900

Implementing Virtual Parent Support Groups for Eating Disorders Across Canada

Understanding and Mitigating the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children, Youth, and Families Living With an Eating Disorder: A National Implementation Study of a Virtual Parent-Led Peer Support Intervention

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 115 (estimated)
• Sponsor: McMaster University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 12 Years – 100 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has experienced a surge in new pediatric eating disorder cases and hospitalizations and long treatment waitlists, with parents experiencing anxiety due to a lack of support. As it has not been rigorously studied, there is an urgent need to understand and mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children, youth, and families living with eating disorders across Canada. The investigator's proposed research has two goals. First, the investigators plan to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic faced by this population throughout the country, as well as describe stakeholder views on virtual parent-led peer support groups. Given the increased burden faced by parents of children with eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic, the second goal is to study whether the national implementation of virtual parent-led peer support groups helps to mitigate the impact of the pandemic among affected parents. The investigators will use qualitative semi-structured interviews to gather an understanding of the impact of the pandemic on relevant stakeholders across the country. At the same time, the investigators will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the implementation of virtual parent-led peer support groups in several regions of Canada by examining parent and parent peer support provider experiences.

Conditions

• Eating Disorders

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Support Group for Caregivers	Engage parents in the community via this support group, so they can be supported by other parents who "know the system", can advise them on how to proceed, and empower them to help their children. Parents will learn psychoeducation about eating disorders and how to support their children.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-05-01
• Primary completion: 2023-05-01
• Completion: 2023-05-01
• First posted: 2021-12-09
• Last updated: 2022-09-10

Locations

3 sites across 1 country: Canada