Implementing Virtual Parent Support Groups for Eating Disorders Across Canada

NCT05151900 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 14196
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 3

Brief 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

Keywords

eating disorder; parent support group; COVID-19

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Parent, youth, clinician, and administrator perspectives on and experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic and children, youth, and families with eating disorders

  Perspectives and experiences qualitatively measured by semi-structured individual interviews with participants with lived experience or expertise in pediatric eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Baseline to 6 months later

• Parent, youth, clinician, and administrator perspectives on virtual parent-led peer support groups to help mitigate the negative effects of COVID-19 on children, youth, and families with eating disorders across Canada

  Perspectives qualitatively measured by semi-structured individual interviews with participants with lived experience or expertise in pediatric eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Baseline to 6 months later

• Parent, youth, clinician, and administrator perspectives on factors important for implementing and sustaining virtual parent-led peer support groups

  Perspectives qualitatively measured by semi-structured individual interviews with participants with lived experience or expertise in pediatric eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Baseline to 6 months later

Secondary Outcomes (9)

• Change in number of parents who remain in the support group (Retention Rate)

  Baseline and 3 months later

• Number of support groups each parent attends (Attendance Rate)

  3 months after baseline

• Change in self-reported parental burden

  Baseline and 3 months later

• Change in self-reported needs as a parent of a child with an eating disorder

  Baseline and 3 months later

• Change in self-reported parental self efficacy and collaboration

  Baseline and 3 months later

Other Outcomes (2)

• Parent participant experiences

  After 3 months in groups

• Parent Peer Support Provider experiences

  After 6 months leading groups

Study Arms (1)

Stakeholder Perspectives and Virtual Parent-Led Peer Support Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Qualitative interviews regarding the impact of COVID-19 will be conducted with youth who have an eating disorder (ED), parents of youth who have an ED, ED clinicians and ED program administrators, as well as get their perspectives on parent-led peer support groups. Three parent-led peer support groups will be started, including psychoeducation in a virtual group setting for parents who have a child or adolescent with an eating disorder.

Behavioral: Support Group for Caregivers

Interventions

Support Group for Caregivers BEHAVIORAL

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.

Stakeholder Perspectives and Virtual Parent-Led Peer Support Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 12 Years - 100 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Have the capacity to write, speak and understand English
• Have access to a computer and internet
• Among parents enrolled in the virtual parent-led peer support groups, they must have a child or adolescent (\<18 years of age) diagnosed with an eating disorder
• Among youth and parents of youth with an eating disorder in the qualitative interviews component of the study, they/their child must either be on a waiting list for eating disorder treatment, actively in treatment, or post-treatment; the youth must be \<18 years of age and the parent must have a child \<18 years of age
• Among clinician/administrators in the qualitative interviews component of the study, they must work within pediatric eating disorder programs or lifespan eating disorder programs.

You may not qualify if:

• No lived or professional experience in the field of eating disorders
• Don't have the capacity to write, speak and understand English
• Don't have access to the internet/computer

Sponsors & Collaborators

• McMaster University: lead

Study Sites (3)

University of Calgary

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Location

IWK Health Centre

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Location

McMaster University

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Feeding and Eating Disorders; COVID-19

Interventions

Self-Help Groups; Caregivers

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Mental Disorders; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Respiratory Tract Infections; Infections; Virus Diseases; Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Organizations; Health Care Economics and Organizations; Health Personnel; Health Care Facilities Workforce and Services

Study Officials

• Jennifer Couturier, MD MSc

  McMaster University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator, Medical Co-Director, Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 29, 2021
• First Posted: December 9, 2021
• Study Start: May 1, 2022
• Primary Completion: March 31, 2024
• Study Completion: March 31, 2024
• Last Updated: May 4, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (3)