Co-producing a complex psychosocial intervention during COVID-19 with young people transitioning from adolescent secure hospitals to adult services in England: Moving Forward intervention (MFi).

BACKGROUND: Young people moving from adolescent secure hospitals to adult care present with multiple and complex needs which often remain unmet during transition periods. This paper delineates the process of developing and co-producing the moving forward intervention (MFi), which aims to address the psychosocial needs of transitioning youth who have limited access to well-researched and tailored service provisions. METHOD: An extensive search of the relevant literature was conducted to generate themes and guide the co-production phase. Fourteen Advisory Group Meetings were held virtually during COVID-19 to design the MFi module content with 17 keyworkers, 2 parents and 13 young people aged 17-18 years across six adolescent secure hospitals in England. Thematic analysis was used to reflect on the field notes discussed in the Advisory Groups. RESULTS: Co-produced themes from the literature and the Advisory Groups informed the development of the proposed intervention. Three overarching themes pertinent to expectations in adult services, improving communication gaps between services and facilitating the letting go period emerged from the co-production phase. It was suggested the MFi is co-delivered by a peer with lived experience to build trust and create hopefulness among young people. The importance of promoting graded transitions through standardised procedures was highlighted. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings promote evidence-based initiatives and build robust practice frameworks that inform treatment and policy guidelines. The young people, parents and keyworkers found the MFi supportive and valued the co-production experience. As such, co-production has been a vital tool in promoting patient engagement and empowerment, and reducing service inequalities, especially in adolescent secure hospitals.

The experiences of having a sibling with an eating disorder: A systematic review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: Research on carers in the context of eating disorders (EDs) has predominantly focused on parents and offspring, overlooking the adverse effects EDs have on the lives of siblings. This study aims to shift the paradigm by reviewing the literature in this area. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first review of the literature that broadly captured the lived experiences of siblings without being limited by specific search terms such as coping strategies and levels of psychopathology. METHOD: Six databases (ERIC, MEDLINE, PsycInfo, Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science) were searched using predetermined search strings. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies were included as long as they were focused on siblings' experiences of having a brother or sister with an ED. No publication date restrictions were applied, and thorough quality assessments were initially carried out before a qualitative analysis of the data was conducted. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies were eligible for inclusion, thematic synthesis yielded six core themes, and 17 subthemes related to the inter- and intrapersonal impacts of the ED on siblings' lives. These themes and sub-themes include fragmentation in family relationships, parentification, and competition and jealousy. CONCLUSION: It is of utmost importance to gain a better understanding of siblings' experiences and needs in relation to EDs. The findings are discussed in relation to the existing literature and theoretical and clinical implications, for example, tailored approaches accounting for siblings' experiences.

Co-producing an inclusive-care model for young people transitioning from adolescent eating disorder services to adult care: A qualitative study protocol for Transition for Eating Disorder Youth intervention.

Eating disorders (EDs) present a chronic issue to child paediatric mental health services due to their high mortality and relapse rates. The transition from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to Adult Mental Health Services is a particularly high-risk period for young people with EDs given their high vulnerability to change, which can negatively impact treatment outcomes. However, there is lack of evidence on the feasibility of inclusive and youth-specific interventions that address the multiple and complex needs of this group during their transition to adult care. This proposed study aims to develop a newly introduced model of care called Transition for Eating Disorder Youth intervention (TEDYi) for young people aged 16-18 years with EDs transitioning from adolescent ED services to adult care. TEDYi will be co-produced with young people, carers, and staff targeting interpersonal and psychosocial needs during the transition process. The first phase of the study involves interviews with young people (N = 15) and carers (N = 15) as well as focus groups with mental health professionals (N = 15) across four ED adolescent and adult specialist services to explore their transition experiences. The second phase, consists of four Experience-Based Co-Design workshops, aimed at collaboratively developing and refining TEDYi.