Biomedical subjects

Rebecca Murphy

Publications and source records attributed to Rebecca Murphy.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

Predictors of mental health problems and negative caregiving experiences in carers of adolescents with bulimia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: This exploratory study focuses on the mental health (MH) and caregiving experience of carers of adolescents with Bulimia Nervosa (BN)/Eating Disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS), aiming to determine: levels of MH problems in carers and if a negative experience of caregiving predicts carer MH status and which factors predict a negative experience of caregiving. METHOD: Hundred and twelve carers and 68 adolescents with BN/EDNOS completed self-report measures (General Health Questionnaire, Experience of Caregiving Inventory, Level of Expressed Emotion, Self-report Family Inventory, Inventory of Interpersonal Problems). RESULTS: Over half of the carers reported some MH problems and a minority (5.4%) were experiencing considerable difficulties. A negative experience of caregiving predicted carer MH status. Higher weekly contact hours and patient ratings of expressed emotion (EE) predicted a negative experience of caregiving. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions focusing on reducing EE and contact hours could prove beneficial for both patient and caregiver outcomes.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Why do adolescents with bulimia nervosa choose not to involve their parents in treatment?

BACKGROUND: Although the use of family therapy for adolescents with anorexia nervosa is well established, there has been limited research into the efficacy of family therapy in adolescents with bulimia nervosa (BN). No previous research has investigated why individuals with BN do or do not involve their parents in treatment. This is an exploratory study aimed at determining whether there are any differences between these individuals in terms of eating disorder symptomatology, psychopathology, familial risk factors, patients' perception of parental expressed emotion (EE) and family functioning. METHODS: Participants were 85 adolescents with BN or Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, recruited to a randomised controlled evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural guided self-care vs. family therapy. Participants were interviewed regarding the history of their eating disorder and completed self-report measures. RESULTS: Patients who did not involve their parents in treatment were significantly older, had more chronic eating disorder symptoms, exhibited more co-morbid and impulsive behaviours and rated their mothers higher in EE. However, they did not have more severe eating disorder symptomatology. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary findings, although in need of replication with a larger sample and limited by the attrition rate in some of the self-report measures, indicate that patients who did not involve their parents in treatment may perceive their mothers as having a more blaming and negative attitude towards the patient's illness. Public awareness about BN needs to be raised, focusing on reducing the stigma and negative views attached to this illness.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

An evaluation of web-based information.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of web-based information on the treatment of eating disorders and to investigate potential indicators of content quality. METHOD: Two search engines were queried to obtain 15 commonly accessed websites about eating disorders. Two reviewers evaluated the characteristics, quality of content, and accountability of the sites. Intercorrelations between variables were calculated. RESULTS: The overall quality of the sites was poor based on the outcome measures used. All quality of content measures correlated with a measure of accountability (Silberg, W.M., Lundberg, G.D., & Mussachio, R.A., 1993). DISCUSSION: There is a lack of quality information on the treatment of eating disorders on the web. Although accountability criteria may be useful indicators of content quality, there is a need to investigate whether these can be usefully applied to other mental health areas.

Feeding and Eating Disorders↗

PubMed2004

A qualitative study of the experience of caring for a person with bulimia nervosa. Part 1: The emotional impact of caring.

OBJECTIVE: Family carers of individuals with mental disorders have been found to experience mental health difficulties of their own. There has been little research into the impact of caring for individuals with eating disorders. A preliminary study found that carers of individuals with anorexia nervosa experience more difficulties and distress than carers of people with psychoses (Treasure et al., [2001]. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 36, 343-347). This is the first study to qualitatively investigate the experiences of carers of individuals with bulimia nervosa (BN). METHOD: Twenty carers of individuals with BN were interviewed using a semistructured interview. Interviews were transcribed and the texts analyzed using content analysis to identify themes. RESULTS: The principal themes to emerge were the impact of the discovery of BN on the carer, the ongoing impact of care-giving, coping strategies used by the carer, and the positive impact of the illness for both the carers and the persons in their care. DISCUSSION: BN has a potent impact on carers' lives. This has implications in terms of service provision and future research in this area.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2004

A qualitative study of the experience of caring for a person with bulimia nervosa. Part 2: Carers' needs and experiences of services and other support.

OBJECTIVE: Family carers of people with mental disorders have specific needs to safeguard their own mental health. The needs of carers of individuals with eating disorders have received little attention. A focus group with carers of people with anorexia nervosa identified a number of specific needs (Haigh & Treasure [2003]. European Eating Disorders Review, 11(2), 125-141). However, there has been no published research into the needs of carers of individuals with bulimia nervosa (BN). METHOD: Twenty carers of individuals with BN were interviewed using a semistructured interview schedule. Interviews were transcribed and the texts were analyzed using a content analysis approach to identify themes. RESULTS: Carers expressed the need for more information, practical advice, guidance, and the need to talk to others about their experiences. DISCUSSION: Further research is recommended to explore how the needs expressed by carers may best be translated into services that effectively meet the requirements of both patients and carers and reduce the risk to carers' mental health.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2003

Are top journals biased against eating disorders topics?

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated whether there is a bias against eating disorders research among the leading psychiatric, psychological, and medical journals. METHOD: The authors performed a comparison between the number of empirical articles published about anorexia nervosa and/or bulimia nervosa and the number of articles published about panic disorder and/or agoraphobia (i.e., disorders of comparable disease burden) in 29 high-impact journals over a 5-year period (1996-2001). RESULTS: There were almost twice as many published empirical articles about panic disorder and/or agoraphobia (N=365) as there were about anorexia nervosa and/or bulimia nervosa (N=169). CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate a possible bias against eating disorders research among some leading psychiatric journals. Alternative explanations and implications are discussed.

Agoraphobia↗