title: Social support satisfaction in adults with eating disorders: Does stance matter?
abstract: Although the role of social support is clearly established in the recovery of youth with eating disorders, little is known about factors that contribute to support satisfaction and improved treatment outcome in adults. This study examined the contribution of patient factors and perceived support stance used by family and friends in determining social support satisfaction. Individuals meeting DSM-IV criteria for an eating disorder (n = 182) completed measures of eating disorder and psychiatric severity, interpersonal functioning, perceived support stance used by family and friends, and social support satisfaction. Correlations indicated that both patient factors (lower psychiatric distress and fewer interpersonal difficulties) and perceived support stance (higher concerned and lower directive support) were associated with patient support satisfaction. Multiple regression analyses indicated that perceived support stance accounted for greater variance in social support satisfaction than did patient factors. Patient age was associated with differences in preferred support stance: expressions of caring were most critical for younger patients, whereas not being criticized or told what to do was most significant for older patients. This research suggests that the stance used when offering support is vital to the care of individuals with eating disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, St. Paul's Hospital Eating Disorders Program, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.|Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Josie
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2495-1789
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Geller
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, St. Paul's Hospital Eating Disorders Program, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.|Department of Education, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Megumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iyar
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, St. Paul's Hospital Eating Disorders Program, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.|Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Suja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Srikameswaran
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, St. Paul's Hospital Eating Disorders Program, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zelichowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, St. Paul's Hospital Eating Disorders Program, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Erin C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Dunn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012944:Social Support; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: collaborative; eating disorders; social support; stance; support satisfaction