title: Caregiving and coping in carers of people with anorexia nervosa admitted for intensive hospital care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to examine how carers cope practically and emotionally with caring for individuals with anorexia nervosa who require intensive hospital care.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study explores objective burden (time spent with caregiving and number of tasks), subjective burden (psychological distress), and social support in a sample of parents (n = 224) and partners (n = 28) from a consecutive series of patients (n = 178) admitted to inpatient units within the United Kingdom.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most time was spent providing emotional support and less with practical tasks. Time spent with caregiving was associated with carer distress and was fully mediated by carer burden. This was ameliorated by social support. Partners received minimal support from others, and we found similar levels of burden and distress for mothers and partners.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data indicate that professional and social support alleviates carer distress and may be of particular value for partners who are more isolated than parents. The data also suggest that time spent with practical support may be of more value than emotional support.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raenker
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hibbs
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goddard
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Naumann
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arcelus
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ayton
authors.forename: Bryony
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bamford
authors.forename: Nicky
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Boughton
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Connan
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goss
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lazlo
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: Christa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schreiber-Kounine
authors.forename: Sonu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Linette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Whitehead
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beecham
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Treasure
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000628:therapy*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires