“You kind of became free again”: Danish adolescents’ experiences.
Introduction
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric disorder that typically emerges in early adolescence. It carries significant physical and psychological consequences, including an elevated mortality rate, impaired psychosocial functioning, and a substantial burden on families.
Family-Based Treatment (FBT) is internationally recommended as the first-line treatment for children and adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa (AN).
The study highlighted how parents, in a Danish context, experienced FBT as emotionally demanding and markedly different from their usual parenting style. Despite these challenges, parents described becoming closer to their child through the process of overcoming a significant challenge together. Importantly, the parents’ experiences of FBT were shaped by whether they found the model meaningful and could align with its rationale. These findings warrant the exploration of adolescents’ perspectives to gain a more complete understanding of how FBT is experienced and how it works.
The primary aim of this study was to explore adolescents’ experiences of participating in FBT, with particular attention to how they perceived changes in family relationships at the end of treatment, as well as their views on both its helpful and challenging aspects.
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The Study
Objective: To explore Danish adolescents’ experiences of Family-Based Treatment (FBT) for anorexia nervosa (AN).
Method: Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 adolescents (13 females, mean age 15.8 years) at the end of treatment and analysed via inductive reflexive thematic analysis.
Result: Three overarching themes were generated through analysis: Losing Control – Gaining Freedom captured adolescents’ initial distress at relinquishing responsibility for renourishment to parents, later experienced as liberating, as parental oversight countered AN and restored agency. The Difficult Trust reflected how AN itself complicated trust, with adolescents feeling that others did not always believe or trust them. From Conflict to Closeness described evolving parent–child relationships, showing that early conflicts gave way to strengthened bonds, particularly with the parent who assumed primary responsibility, as collaborative engagement fostered improved communication and mutual understanding. Overall, early distress coexisted with long-term gains in autonomy and familial closeness.
Conclusion: By the end of treatment, adolescents came to recognize the rationale and value of parental responsibility for renourishment in FBT, reporting that it facilitated recovery while strengthening relationships. The findings emphasize the importance of trust, safe therapeutic spaces, and active involvement from both parents, and highlight a need for targeted adaptations for transitional-age youth.
For more details visit: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/
To view and download the study visit: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/
