Investigating the needs of carers in the area of eating disorders: development of the Carers' Needs Assessment Measure (CaNAM)

Objective: To develop an instrument that can be used to assess the needs of carers of people with an eating disorder and to perform a pilot test of this measure. Method: A focus group was held with 12 carers of people with anorexia nervosa (AN). A self‐report questionnaire, the Carers' Needs Assessment Measure (CaNAM), was developed from discussions of the focus group. A pilot test of the CaNAM was carried out with a sample of 28 carers of people with AN. Results: Carers of people with AN showed high levels of unmet needs in the domains of ‘Information about eating disorders’, ‘Support from other people/organizations’ and ‘Information received from general practitioners’. Discussion: Carers of people with AN show high levels of unmet needs. The dominant need was for practical and emotional help in dealing with the eating disorder. A revised version of the CaNAM is currently being tested with a larger sample of carers.