Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41318606›Full record

ArticleJournal of eating disorders2025

"It's never ending and overwhelmingly difficult": a mixed-methods survey of the impact of caregiving for a loved one with an eating disorder in New Zealand.

Liesje Donkin, Rebecca Sinclair, Sarah Rowland, Kahlia McDougall, Jason Landon

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of eating disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Participation in the New Maudsley Model Workshops is Associated With Reductions in Caregiver Burden in Eating Disorders.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Liesje DonkinDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Auckland University of Technology (AUT), Private Bag 92006, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand. liesje.donkin@aut.ac.nz.
Rebecca SinclairDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Auckland University of Technology (AUT), Private Bag 92006, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
Sarah RowlandEating Disorders Carer Support NZ (EDCS), Ōamaru, New Zealand.
Kahlia McDougallLived Experience Advocate and Consultant, Auckland, New Zealand.
Jason LandonDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Auckland University of Technology (AUT), Private Bag 92006, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCaregivers of people with eating disorders (EDs) often support refeeding, behavioural monitoring, and co-ordinate therapeutic and medical appointments. Available support is often focused on the person with the ED and rarely on the caregiver. This study examined the impact of caregiving in New Zealand (NZ).

methodsCurrent and previous caregivers completed an online, anonymous survey exploring their experience of caregiving and its psychological impact using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Eating Disorders Symptom Impact Scale (EDSIS), and questions about the long-term impact of caregiving on caregivers' mental health. A comparison was made with data on Australian caregivers.

resultsCurrent caregivers reported higher levels of depression and stress than those not currently caregiving, as well as higher levels of depressive symptoms than Australian caregivers. The impact of ED symptoms were also generally higher in NZ participants compared with Australian caregivers.The perceived impact of the ED was associated with the psychological distress experienced by caregivers with greater impact being linked to more distress. Of those whose loved ones were in recovery, more than 25% experienced ongoing post-traumatic symptoms related to their caregiving experience.

conclusionNZ caregivers reported ongoing effects related to caregiving even when the person with the ED had recovered. NZ caregivers experience a high level of distress and burden that can persist once recovery is achieved. Comprehensive ED support should include interventions to improve caregivers' wellbeing.

Indexed as

AnxietyCaregiver burdenDepressionEating disordersFeeding and eating disordersMental health

Identifiers

PMID41318606
PMCPMC12771747

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.