A Qualitative Study of Healthcare Professionals’ Experiences of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Severity of Eating Disorders, and Eating Disorder Treatment and Service Provision in the Paediatric Population

Background Published research on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic reveals increased eating disorders (EDs), exacerbated conditions, and the reduction in accessibility of already inadequate supports available. Objective To explore the perspectives of healthcare professionals on the impact of COVID-19 on EDs and ED treatment and service provision for the paediatric population. Method Semi-structured interviews were completed with participants, and data were analysed using code-book thematic analysis. Participants Participants included 13 healthcare professionals from Ireland with experience working with EDs ranging from 5-21 years ( M = 11.46, SD = 2.94). Results Six themes and fourteen subthemes were established. The first three themes, ‘Increased severity and frequency of paediatric EDs', ‘Psychological impact and coping mechanisms’, and ‘Shifts in epidemiological trends’, identify the impact of the pandemic on the severity and frequency of EDs. The second three themes, ‘Challenges in accessing ED services’, ‘Adaptions and innovations in ED treatment’, and ‘Implication for service provision and healthcare systems’, identify how the pandemic affected treatment and service provision. Implications The results emphasise the need for increased funding for ED services, grants for further professional training, and medical practitioners’ education on psychiatric conditions. This study also discovered increased comorbid OCD and ASD presentations since the onset of the pandemic.