Bonding and Expressed Emotion: Two Interlinked Concepts?

Abstract

Background: Bonding and expressed emotion (EE) are two concepts modeling family relationships. Two studies, with contradictory results, have explored whether these concepts and their corresponding instruments [the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and the Camberwell Family Interview] do indeed measure the same aspects of family relationships. Our first objective was to compare the adolescents' perceptions of family relationships using the PBI, and the parental viewpoint using the Five-Minute Speech Sample (FMSS-EE). Secondly, we compared the PBI scores and EE levels of the parents. Sampling and Methods: Sixty adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa completed the PBI. The FMSS and a modified version of the PBI were administered to parents separately. Results: No significant link was identified between adolescent PBI scores and parental EE levels. However, a link between maternal ‘modified' PBI scores and maternal EE was observed: when mothers registered a high Final EE, they were more likely to deny their daughter's psychological autonomy compared to mothers with lower EE. Conclusions: Our empirical results do not support the hypothesis of an overlap between the two concepts. Indeed bonding and EE measure the same object, i.e. the quality of family relationships, but time scales differ and so do the perspectives (patient vs. parental viewpoint).

Predictive factors for outcome in adolescents with anorexia nervosa: To what extent does parental Expressed Emotion play a role?

“…Because the CFI is particularly timeconsuming, shorter and more cost effective instruments were developed, such as the Five-Minute Speech Sample (FMSS) [ 14 – 15 ]. Although the predictive validity of the FMSS has at times been questioned in schizophrenia in comparison with the CFI, more recent publications have confirmed its validity, particularly in the field of eating disorders [ 10 , 11 , 15 – 17 ]. The FMSS involves two EE components: Critical and EOI [ 10 , 14 – 15 ].…”

Mother–Daughter Coping and Disordered Eating

“…This model is also supported by recent studies of family function. Such studies reveal that families with an eating disorder (ED) sufferer tend to have high caregiver burden, higher expressed emotion for AN and higher levels of criticism for bulimia nervosa (BN) (Anastasiadou, Medina‐Pradas, Sepulveda, & Treasure, ; Duclos et al, ; Sepulveda et al, ). Sepulveda indicates that parents can take complimentary roles within the family; one parent can be overprotective and the other avoidant (Sepulveda et al, ).…”