ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to validate a Spanish version of the Caregiver Skills scale (CASK) in a sample of eating disorder (ED) caregivers. A further aim was to examine the concordance/discrepancy between them (namely, between the mothers and fathers of ED patients). METHOD: Two hundred sixty-five ED caregivers were recruited from ED centers in Catalonia, Spain. Confirmatory factor analyses was used to test the factorial structure of the CASK scale. Cronbach's α was used to measure internal consistency of the CASK scales. A comparison of the CASK measures between respondents (mothers and fathers) was conducted using generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis of the Spanish version of the CASK corroborated the strong factorial validity of the 6 factors of the original CASK questionnaire. Mothers and fathers did not differ significantly on CASK overall and subscale scores. There was however less concordance between parents on the bigger picture (ICC = 0.28) and biting your tongue (ICC = 0.08) subscales. CONCLUSIONS: The CASK is a valid tool to assess ED-related attitudes in Spanish-speaking caregivers. Furthermore, caregivers and patients alike could stand to benefit from interventions focused on improving areas such as ED beliefs, effective communication, quality of life, and emotional distancing.
Subject(s)
Caregivers/psychology , Fathers/psychology , Feeding and Eating Disorders/psychology , Mothers/psychology , Quality of Life , Surveys and Questionnaires/standards , Adult , Attitude , Factor Analysis, Statistical , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Parents/psychology , Psychometrics , Reproducibility of Results , SpainABSTRACT
We report a young patient with phenotypic, cognitive and behavioural features consistent with a diagnosis of Lujan-Fryns syndrome. He exhibited a severe eating disorder with food refusal and psychogenic loss of appetite, which led to a serious state of malnutrition. Behavioural difficulties including shyness, hyperactivity and emotional instability are present in almost 80% of the described patients with Lujan-Fryns syndrome but eating disorders have not been previously reported in this condition. A review of the behavioural problems in Lujan-Fryns syndrome and an approach to their management is discussed.
