Eating disorder recovery can upend family life, leaving caregivers without enough support

Research highlights how supporting a child through eating disorder treatment can disrupt caregivers’ routines, mental health and everyday roles, pointing to the need for more family-focused care.

Parents and other caregivers supporting a child through treatment for an eating disorder often face a strain that extends well beyond meal times and clinic appointments. A qualitative study published in the Western Michigan University Occupational Therapy journal found that the recovery process can reshape everyday routines, family roles and participation in ordinary activities, leaving caregivers with their own unmet needs even as they help guide treatment.

The study, based on in-depth interviews with 10 caregivers recruited through Facebook support groups, explored what life was like during a child’s recovery. The researchers found that the experience could disrupt daily occupations, a term occupational therapists use to describe the activities that give structure and meaning to life, from work and parenting to rest and social contact. The authors said the findings could help shape more holistic care that supports families as well as the person diagnosed.

That focus on caregivers’ wellbeing reflects a wider body of research showing that family members often shoulder a heavy emotional load. In a recent Equip Health survey of more than 1,000 caregivers, 80% said they felt overwhelmed at least sometimes, while more than half reported struggles with stress and anxiety. The same survey found that 65% were deeply involved in treatment but still felt they were navigating the process largely on their own. Equip said the results point to a need for better education and more caregiver-focused support.

Earlier studies have reached similar conclusions. Research published in Psychiatry Research in 2014 found that lower perceived burden and better mental health in caregivers were linked with improved quality of life over two years. Another study in the European Eating Disorders Review reported that stronger relationships with patients, along with positive personal experiences, were associated with less anxiety and depression among primary and secondary caregivers. A separate review in Current Psychiatry Reviews described a pattern in which caregivers’ views of barriers, healthcare experiences and social support shaped how they adapted, with good clinical and social support helping them cope more effectively.

More recent work has continued to underline the same message. A 2025 study in the Journal of Eating Disorders found mild to moderate emotional burden and, in some cases, depressive symptoms among caregivers, and said early treatment and multidisciplinary care, including occupational therapy, could improve family functioning. Taken together, the research suggests that eating disorder care works best when it recognises that recovery affects the whole household, not just the patient.