Eating disorders and perceived relationships with parents

The present report is the third and largest such study, contrasting 98 patients with anorexic and bulimic eating disorders and 242 comparison subjects, and finding that eating-disordered patients recalled that both parents were lower in perceived care/warmth and that their fathers (but not their mothers) were more overprotective.

Abstract

Many clinicians have theorized about the role of family dynamics in the development of eating disorders (e.g., Minuchin, Rosman & Baker, 1978; Palazzoli, 1974). On the same theme, in recent years, a major research study has produced unequivocal evidence for the therapeutic value of family therapy, at least with the younger client (Russell, Szmukler, Dare & Eisler, 1987). However, there are still relatively few data on the nature of family interaction patterns in patients with an eating disorder. To date, there have been two reports on the use of the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) (Parker, Tupling & Brown, 1979) with this clinical population. The present report is the third and largest such study, contrasting 98 patients with anorexic and bulimic eating disorders and 242 comparison subjects. In line with the two previous studies, eating-disordered patients recalled that both parents were lower in perceived care/warmth and, in line with the second study, they recalled that their fathers (but not their mothers) were more overprotective. The latter finding appears an intriguing one and requires further exploration.