Attachment research in eating disorders

Ward, Anne; Ramsay, Rosalind; Treasure, Janet

doi:10.1348/000711200160282

Cited by 203 publications

(130 citation statements)

References 14 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…To date, four systematic literature reviews have sought to synthesise data on this empirical question 6,10,7,11 .…”

Section: Parental Bonding and Eating Disordersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The initial review concluded that, compared to non-clinical controls, those with eating disorders remember both parents as less caring, but only their father as more protective -with this latter finding more common in women with Bulimia Nervosa (BN) 6 . By contrast, an updated review found that clients with eating disorders consistently remember their parents as more controlling and less affectionate than their non-clinical counterparts (so called affectionless control) 11 . Both reviews also find that those with eating disorders encounter separation anxiety and are more likely than controls to be insecurely attached.…”

mentioning

confidence: 95%

“…The present article will therefore review Parental bonding and eating disorders 6 empirical studies assessing parental bonding in those with eating disorders, updating the previous review (which was conducted in 1999 11 ). An updated review is crucial for three reasons.…”

mentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Both reviews also find that those with eating disorders encounter separation anxiety and are more likely than controls to be insecurely attached. The most recent of these reviews also finds that women with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) tend to have an avoidant attachment style while women with BN tend to be preoccupied in their attachment style 11 . This latter finding has also been supported in more recent reviews of attachment in those with eating disorders 7,10 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Parental bonding and eating disorders: A systematic review

et al. 2014

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Objective: This article systematically reviews studies of parental bonding in people with eating disorders. Method: MEDLINE, PsychINFO, EMBASE and CINAHL were searched to identify studies that compared parental bonding in people diagnosed with an eating disorder relative to non-clinical controls. Results: Twenty-four studies were identified. Women with eating disorders typically reported lower parental care and higher parental protection compared to non-clinical, but not psychiatric, controls.Interestingly, these relationships were mediated by avoidant problem solving style and several schemas from the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ 1 ). Discussion:While there are methodological limitations associated with the reviewed studies, they do offer some support for the proposal that difficulties in parent-child relationships predispose women to eating disorders and other psychiatric diagnoses. suggesting that difficult relationships between parents and children could be implicated in the onset of eating disorders. Using attachment theory 5 as an explanatory framework, it has been suggested that insecure attachments to caregivers are common in those with eating disorders. The symptoms of their eating disorder are assumed to represent an attempt to maintain physical and psychological proximity to a caregiver 6,7 . Likewise, psychodynamic theories suggest that parents of those who develop eating disorders are demanding/over-controlling and emotionally unresponsive. This is assumed to result in either; 1) a need for the adolescent to remain child-like to avoid abandonment, 2) a refusal to eat to subdue the internalised controlling parent, or 3) weight-control behaviours to maintain closeness to the parent 8,9 . Parental bonding and eating disorders 4It is important to assess the empirical support for the hypothesised link between early parent-child relationships and eating disorders. To date, four systematic literature reviews have sought to synthesise data on this empirical question 6,10,7,11 .Before considering their conclusions, it is important to note that they conceptualise existing empirical studies as either considering the "attachment construct" as defined by Bowlby 5,12 , or considering "parental bonding" as defined by Parker and colleagues 12 .Briefly, the "attachment construct" referred to in these reviews is defined by Bowlby's attachment theory 5 . This suggests that children respond to caregiver's behaviour in ways that most effectively achieve care and security.

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“…To date, four systematic literature reviews have sought to synthesise data on this empirical question 6,10,7,11 .…”

Section: Parental Bonding and Eating Disordersmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 95%

mentioning

confidence: 97%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Parental bonding and eating disorders: A systematic review

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“…Los padres aportan al ambiente no sólo a través de sus prácticas de control de peso [9][10][11][12][13][14] ; actitud ante la comida 15 e insatisfacción con la imagen y el peso 16,17 , sino a través de las formas de relacionarse con sus hijos. Patrones de apego inseguro y escasa elaboración psíquica conjunta de los eventos emocionales predisponen a trastornos de alimentación 18 y autoimagen 19 si utilizan el comer como regulador emocional preferente.…”

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Las madres de adolescentes y jóvenes chilenos con trastornos alimentarios

Cordella

Castro

Díaz³

et al. 2009

Rev. méd. Chile

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Eating Disorders

Steiger¹,

Bruce²,

Israï¿1⁄2ï¿1⁄2l³

2003

Handbook of Psychology

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In a social context that equates thinness with many social values, it is not surprising to find that most people display body‐image and diet self‐consciousness, and that an alarming number of these persons (especially young women) progress to the development of an eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the two primary variants of eating disorder recognized within authoritative diagnostic nomenclatures. However, binge eating disorder is likely to become a third, officially recognized variant of eating disorder in future editions of diagnostic manuals. Anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating are polysymptomatic syndromes defined by maladaptive attitudes and behaviors around eating, weight and body image, and more nonspecific disturbances of self‐image, mood, impulse‐regulation, and interpersonal functioning. Reviewed in this chapter are pathognomonic features of the eating disorders, findings on concurrent traits and comorbid psychopathology, and putative biological, psychological, and social factors that may explain their etiology and development.

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Attachment research in eating disorders

Cited by 203 publications

References 14 publications

Parental bonding and eating disorders: A systematic review

Parental bonding and eating disorders: A systematic review

Las madres de adolescentes y jóvenes chilenos con trastornos alimentarios

Eating Disorders

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