Eating Disorders and Family Factors

According to Mitchell and Eckert (1987), over the last thirty years, the incidence of eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, etc.) has risen dramatically. Specifically, the authors state that the incidence level has risen from a rate of 0.35 cases per 100,000 in 1960 to a current rate of 4.06 cases per 100,000 people. Two major areas of the eating disorders literature have been: (a) family characteristics, environment, and behaviors of eating disorder clients; and (b) control issues in the onset and maintenance of the disorder.

Regarding family factors, several findings have been noted. For example, inconsistency in parental affection and lack of family cohesion have been associated with the development of bulimia, as have been parental attitudes toward weight, diet, fitness, and body image (Scalf-McIver & Thompson, 1989). Also, families that tend to be extremely anxious about weight and derogatory toward people who are overweight often have children with eating disorders (Wold, 1984).

Johnson and Flach (1985) studied a large sample of eating disorder patients noting that their perceptions of their families:

...included low cohesiveness, a lack of emphasis on independent and assertive behavior, and a high level of conflict coupled with a low emphasis on open expression of feelings (Johnson & Flach, 1985, p. 1321).

Similarly, in a comparison study of the family interactions of eating disorder patients and normal controls, Kog and Vander

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e problems that might arise in the future. 5. Overinvolvement in the Parental Subsystem - Individuals with eating disorders tend to be overly involved in their relationship with one or both parents. 6. Isolation - Family members tend to rely on themselves to meet their needs rather than on friends or others in the community. This lack of feedback from extrafamilial sources leads to stagnation and an increase in the rigidity of dysfunctional patterns of behavior. 7. Overemphasis on Appearance - Physical and social appearances are overemphasized in the families of individuals with eating disorders. Importance is not given to how one feels but rather how one looks. 8. Special Meaning of Food and Eating - The family of eating disorder individuals tend to use food and eating experiences as ways of communicating to one another. Food is dispensed when love is felt and withdrawn to show anger or displeasure. The significance of food therefore goes beyond physical sustenance. In another study of associations between family characteristics and eating disorders, Scalf-McIver and Thompson (1989) surveyed a sample of 175 females (ages 17 to 25). All subjects were assessed in terms of: (1) their degree of bulimic behavior; (2) their family

Category: Psychology - E