Assessment of Family Functioning and Eating Disorders – The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem

Abstract

The aim of the study was to measure whether people at increased risk for eating disorders (EDs) and people without an increased risk of EDs differ from each other in the assessment of family functioning (FF) and self-esteem (SE) dimensions. Moreover, the correlations between FF, EDs, and SE were verified, looking for the mediating role of SE in the context of the FF and EDs. The research was conducted on the group of 160 people aged from 18 to 47 years, including 74 people at increased risk for EDs. We used: The Family APGAR (Adaptability, Partnership, Growth, Affection, and Resolve); The SCOFF Questionnaire; The Multidimensional Self-Esteem Inventory, MSEI. Analyses indicate that the compared groups differ significantly in terms of EDs, assessment of FF, and all components of SE, in such a way that people without an increased risk of EDs are characterized by a more positive assessment of FF and higher SE in all its dimensions. All SE dimensions, except defensive high SE, are mediators in the relationship of FF with EDs. In therapeutic interactions, it is worth focusing on the SE dimensions, as they are one of the mediation elements in the relationship between the assessment of FF and EDs.

Effects of family functioning on eating pathology and psychosocial quality of life: The mediating role of self‐esteem

“…The results provide evidence to suggest that self‐esteem is an important mediator between family dysfunction and eating pathology, as well as between family dysfunction and psychosocial QoL, in both ED patients and healthy controls from the general population. These results extend the limited studies in the field (Kroplewski et al., 2019) by testing an original model that includes these key theoretically pertinent factors. Therefore, this study provides insight into the possible mechanism that explains the link between family dysfunction and EDs.…”

“…In sum, the empirical literature provides ample support for relationships between family dysfunction, trait self‐esteem, eating pathology, and QoL. Trait self‐esteem may operate as a major risk factor, as well as an aetiological factor for EDs (Adamson et al., 2019; Biney et al., 2019) and has previously emerged as a mediator between family functioning and eating pathology in a non‐clinical population (Kroplewski et al., 2019). However, research is lacking regarding the mediating role of self‐esteem between family dysfunction and both eating pathology and psychosocial QoL in a clinical population.…”

The Relationship between the Family Environment and Eating Disorder Symptoms in a Saudi Non-Clinical Sample of Students: A Moderated Mediated Model of Automatic Thoughts and Gender

“…The descriptive statistics, ANOVA tests, and Pearson correlation coefficients between the variables were calculated first. Cronbach's alphas were calculated using the 'psych' package [52] to check the internal consistency reliability of the scales. Model 4 of the PROCESS MACRO plug-in developed by Hayes [18] was used to test the mediation analysis.…”

Integrative review on psychological and social risk and prevention factors of eating disorders including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: seven major theories

“…Whilst more recent studies on family functioning address a range of variables such as overprotection, emotional responsiveness, and trans-generational interactions ( Kroplewski et al., 2019 ), further contemporary empirical research is needed to corroborate whether AN and BN groups vary in their family interaction patterns, or if the characteristics of family systems between groups are more similar. Prospective research should also explicate what particular family variables are more impactful upon eating behaviours and attitudes, because more conclusive evidence regarding the role of family climate variables in the aetiology of eating disorders is needed ( Laliberte et al., 1999 ).…”