Perception of parental acceptance in women with binge eating disorder

Mediator Roles of Perfectionism and Self-Critical Rumination in the Relationship Between Perceived Maternal Rejection and Orthorexia: A Model Testing in a Female Sample

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) refers to a pathological obsession with healthy eating characterized by a restrictive diet, ritualized eating patterns, and strict avoidance of foods believed to be unhealthy or unclean. On the other hand, healthy orthorexia (HO) is defined as an interest in healthy eating and a tendency to eat healthy foods. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between the ON, HO, maternal rejection, perfectionism, self-critical rumination, and body attitude in the women sample. 445 female students from diverse universities in Turkey was attended to our study. Participants completed questionnaires regarding ON and HO, body attitude, maternal rejection, perfectionism, and self-critical rumination. The results showed that negative body attitudes could not predict both HO (B=-.008, SE=.039, p=.791) and ON (B=.008, SE=.032, p=.835). However, perfectionism and self-critical rumination had mediator roles in the relationship between ON and HO with maternal rejection, despite this relationship was positive for ON (B = .014, Boot SE = .007, 95% Boot CI [.003, .029]), but negative for HO (B = -.023, Boot SE = .010, 95% Boot CI [-.042, -.008]). Not a negative body attitude, but maternal rejection, perfectionism, and self-critical rumination played roles in developing orthorexic tendencies.

Parental Emotional Availability and Family Functioning in Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa Subtypes

Emotional availability (EA) is a complex construct describing the emotional bond between parents and child, and it refers to support, sensitivity, warmth and closeness. Few studies have investigated the perception of parental EA and its association with dysfunctional eating pattern. The aim of the study is to explore the perception of mothers' and fathers' EA of adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) and any differences between the two subtypes of binge-purge (B/P) or restrictive (R) AN. Furthermore, it investigates the association of parental EA with AN symptomatology and with patients' perception of family functioning, which is identified as a maintenance factor for AN. A total of 60 adolescents between 12 and 18 years and their parents (n = 120) were recruited in two eating disorder (ED) specialized care centers. Patients completed the LEAP and the FACES IV questionnaires evaluating parental EA and family functioning, respectively. Results showed no difference between AN subtypes, but a greater perception of mother when compared to father EA was found. Moreover, the EA construct was found not to be associated with ED symptomatology but with a greater positive family functioning. Our study is the first that explores EA in AN, and results suggest the importance of considering parents' emotional engagement as part of the treatment core, together with the eating symptomatology management.

Risk factors in preadolescent boys and girls for the development of eating pathology in young adulthood

OBJECTIVE

Despite a growing literature on potential risk factors for eating disorders, longitudinal research starting before adolescence is scarce, and little is known about risk factors in males. We investigated risk factors in preadolescent boys and girls for the development of eating pathology in adolescence and young adulthood.

METHOD

This study is part of TRAILS (TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey), a Dutch population-based cohort study (N = 2,229) from preadolescence into adulthood. Potential risk factors were measured at age 11, based on self-report, reports of one of the parents, and records of the Preventive Child Healthcare. Variables included sociodemographic variables, pregnancy and perinatal factors, eating- and weight-related factors, psychological functioning, stressful experiences and family factors. At age 19, two-stage screening including interviews by eating disorder experts was used to examine the prevalence of eating disorders. At age 22 and 26, eating pathology was assessed by the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale.

RESULTS

Preadolescent anxious distress and high weight were associated with eating pathology in adolescence and young adulthood in both boys and girls. Overeating in preadolescence was found to be a prodromal symptom of eating disorders during late adolescence. No evidence was found for sex-specific risk factors.

DISCUSSION

Anxious preadolescents with high weight are at increased risk for the development of eating pathology later on. Clinicians should be aware of eating disorder symptoms - like overeating - in this high-risk group of children, and could consider an early intervention to prevent the development of full-blown eating disorders.

"It really presents a struggle for females, especially my little girl": Exploring fathers' experiences discussing body image with their young daughters

Body dissatisfaction in children, particularly young girls, is a growing concern around the world. The home environment can have a strong influence on children's well-being, and parents may contribute to their children's positive or negative body image development. Nearly all research on parent influence on body image has focused on mothers, leaving fathers' attitudes and experiences poorly-understood. To address this gap in the literature, we interviewed 30 fathers (Mage = 40.30; SD = 7.48) of girls between the ages of 5 and 10 about the conversations they have with their daughters regarding body image. Through thematic analysis, we identified three primary themes: barriers to effective communication, combatting negative influences, and strategies for discussing body image. Fathers recognized the importance of talking about body image with their daughters, yet many did not feel confident or competent to do so effectively. They engaged in a variety of strategies to combat adverse cultural influences and encourage self-expression, character development, and mental and physical health in their daughters. However, messages about health were sometimes conflated with messages about thinness or food restriction. Implications for families and future research are discussed.

Increased emotional eating during COVID-19 associated with lockdown, psychological and social distress

Due to the spread of COVID 2019, the Italian government imposed a lockdown on the national territory. Initially, citizens were required to stay at home and not to mix with others outside of their household (Phase 1); eventually, some of these restrictions were lifted (Phase 2). To investigate the impact of lockdown on emotional and binge eating, an online survey was conducted to compare measures of self-reported physical (BMI), psychological (Alexithymia), affective (anxiety, stress, and depression) and social (income, workload) state during Phase 1 and Phase 2. Data from 365 Italian residents showed that increased emotional eating was predicted by higher depression, anxiety, quality of personal relationships, and quality of life, while the increase of bingeing was predicted by higher stress. Moreover, we showed that higher alexithymia scores were associated by increased emotional eating and higher BMI scores were associated with both increased emotional eating and binge eating. Finally, we found that from Phase 1 to Phase 2 binge and emotional eating decreased. These data provide evidence of the negative effects of isolation and lockdown on emotional wellbeing, and, relatedly, on eating behaviour.

Life satisfaction in persons with mental disorders

PURPOSE

Life satisfaction refers to a cognitive and global evaluation of the quality of one's life as a whole. The arguably most often used measure of life satisfaction is the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Persons with mental disorders generally report lower SWLS scores than healthy controls, yet there is a lack of studies that have compared different diagnostic groups, tested measurement invariance of the SWLS across these groups, and examined effects of treatment on life satisfaction.

METHODS

Data of 9649 inpatients of seven diagnostic categories were analyzed: depressive episode, recurrent depressive disorder, phobic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, trauma-related disorders, somatoform disorders, and eating disorders.

RESULTS

The one-factor structure of the SWLS was replicated and full measurement invariance was demonstrated across groups. Patients with trauma-related disorders reported the lowest life satisfaction. Life satisfaction significantly increased during treatment across all groups and these changes were moderately related to changes in depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Results support the excellent psychometric properties of the SWLS. They also demonstrate that although persons with mental disorder generally report lower life satisfaction than persons without mental disorders, life satisfaction also varies considerably between different diagnostic groups. Finally, results show that life satisfaction increases during inpatient treatment, although at discharge most patients have rarely reached levels of life satisfaction reported in non-clinical samples.

Father-daughter relationship and the severity of eating disorders

BACKGROUND

Mother-daughter relationship was the focus of studies on the development of eating disorders (ED) for many years. This study aimed to examine the association between the father-daughter relationship and ED and depressive symptoms.

METHODS

Fifty-three women diagnosed with ED were compared to a psychiatric control group (n=26) and to healthy participants (n=60) regarding their perception of their fathers and the relationship with them. Assessments were done using the Parental Bonding Instrument, the Eating Disorders Questionnaire, the Body Shape Questionnaire, the Eating Attitude Test, and the Beck Depression Inventory as well as narrative-based methods.

RESULTS

Fathers' negative attributes were significantly associated with ED and depressive symptom. Two profiles of father-daughter relationship were found, the "caring and benevolent" relationship and the "overprotective and avoidant" one. In the latter, patients displayed significantly higher levels of food-restraint, more concerns about eating and about their body shape and appearance, and higher levels of depression.

DISCUSSION

Negative perception of the father's parenting style as well as the quality of the relationship with him are crucial for the understanding of the development and persistence of ED. Therapeutic programs for ED should focus not only on the relationship with the mother but must also address the relationship with the father.

The moderating role of father's care on the onset of binge eating symptoms among female late adolescents with insecure attachment

The present study examined the association between quality of attachment, perception of the father's bond, and binge eating symptoms in a sample of female late adolescents. In total, 233 female students aged between 18 and 20 years completed measures on binge eating, quality of attachment and parent-child relationship. Data showed that respondents with binge symptoms reported lower scores on secure attachment and father's care, and higher scores on preoccupied and fearful attachment. Binge eating symptoms were associated with father's care, but not with father's overprotection. Also, binge symptoms were negatively associated with secure attachment styles, and positively with preoccupied and fearful attachment. The data, finally, provided evidence that at higher levels of preoccupied attachment, the impact of binge symptoms tended to be lower when father's care was high.

As relações de vinculação e a imagem corporal: exploração de um modelo

Pretende-se analisar a contribuição diferencial dos principais contextos de desenvolvimento (relação parental e de pares) na forma como os adolescentes experienciam a relação com o seu corpo. A amostra é constituída por 690 adolescentes e jovens adultos (242 meninos e 448 meninas), com idades compreendidas entre os 15 e os 23 anos (M= 17,8 e DP=2,00). Os resultados do modelo de predição revelaram que o gênero e a vinculação romântica foram as variáveis que mais contribuíram para a variação da variável imagem corporal. Foi observado um efeito de mediação entre a vinculação aos pais e a imagem corporal através da relação romântica e de amizade. Os resultados sublinham a necessidade de se compreender a vivência corporal nos contextos interpessoais.

The validity and clinical utility of binge eating disorder

OBJECTIVE

This review attempted to examine the validity and clinical utility of the DSM-IV binge eating disorder (BED) diagnosis across a wide range of validating strategies.

METHOD

Various electronic databases (Pub Med, Psych Info) were searched for terms relevant to the diagnosis of BED (e.g., binge eating disorder, binge eating) in order to identify papers. Additionally, published papers were reviewed in order to locate additional manuscripts and papers that were presented at meetings.

RESULTS

The validity and utility of BED varied substantially according to the validator chosen. There is reasonable evidence that BED can be differentiated from other existing eating disorders and is associated with significant impairment and clinical levels of eating disorder psychopathology. The relationship of BED to obesity is complex, and in spite of some positive findings, further research examining the predictive power of BED, beyond the simple presence of obesity and associated psychopathology, in relationship to clinically relevant outcomes is needed.

DISCUSSION

Binge eating disorder is being considered for inclusion in the DSM-V and various options regarding this decision are reviewed based upon the empirical findings in the paper.

Parents as protective factors in eating problems of college women

This study examined how parents can protect their college-aged daughters from disordered eating. Specifically, the influence of the following variables on disordered eating was investigated: parental emotional availability and acceptance, parents' critical messages about weight and shape, acceptance of sociocultural attitudes about appearance, self-esteem, and early menarche. Participants included a random sample of 211 female undergraduates who completed an Internet questionnaire. Using multiple regression, messages heard from mothers and fathers were found to contribute to disordered eating, and sociocultural attitudes acted as a mediator for the effects of mothers' and fathers' messages on disordered eating. Implications are discussed.

Father-daughter relationship and eating psychopathology: the mediating role of core beliefs

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to establish the relationships between recalled paternal rearing behaviours, core beliefs and eating symptomatology and to test whether core beliefs play a mediating role between the father-daughter relationship and eating psychopathology.

DESIGN

Associations between eating psychopathology, core beliefs and recalled parental rearing behaviours were examined in women with and without eating disorders. Regression analyses were used to test whether core beliefs played a mediating role in the relationship between paternal rearing behaviours and eating psychopathology.

METHOD

Sixty-six eating-disordered women and fifty female controls completed three self-report questionnaires measuring parental rearing behaviours, core beliefs and eating psychopathology.

RESULTS

In eating-disordered women, paternal rejection and overprotection were found to predict aspects of eating psychopathology via the mediating role of abandonment, defectiveness/shame and vulnerability to harm core beliefs.

DISCUSSION

Core beliefs relating to feelings of abandonment and inherent defectiveness appear to be important in the relationship between unhealthy father-daughter relationships and eating disorder symptoms.

Parental rearing behaviours and eating disorders: the moderating role of core beliefs

OBJECTIVE

Core beliefs have been shown to mediate between eating psychopathology and dysfunctional parent-daughter interactions. However, the possible moderating role of core beliefs has been neglected. This study aimed to explore the hypothesis that core beliefs serve as moderator variables in the relationship between recalled parental rearing behaviours and eating psychopathology.

METHOD

Sixty-six women with a current eating disorder completed self-report measures of parental rearing behaviours, core beliefs, and eating psychopathology.

RESULTS

Three core beliefs were found to moderate the relationship between paternal rejection and aspects of eating psychopathology. The predictive validity of paternal rejection on aspects of eating symptomatology was found to decrease as dysfunctional core beliefs increased.

DISCUSSION

When levels of social isolation, vulnerability to harm, and self-sacrifice core beliefs were high, recalled parental relationships were no longer relevant to current eating psychopathology. The findings provide further evidence that core beliefs are important factors in eating disorder psychopathology and may be clinically useful in identifying targets for treatment.

Exploring alexithymia, depression, and binge eating in self-reported eating disorders in women

TOPIC

Binge eating is often a way of life for many women even if the diagnostic criteria for the tentative DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of binge eating disorder is not met.

METHODS

Binge eating was conceptualized as a problem in affect regulation. Affective indices of alexithymia and depression were measure with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), the Alexithymia-Provoked Response Questionnaire (APQR), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), respectively. This study was an exploratory study of 65 subjects, 35 of whom self-reported as eating disordered and 30 as non-eating disordered.

FINDINGS

Of the eating-disordered subjects, 95% scored significantly on the Eating Habits Checklist as binge eaters, 18% as anorexic, and 23% as bulimic. Significant relationships were found between alexithymia and binge eating and depression. A stepwise logistic regression found that both alexithymia and depression discriminated between women with and without binge eating at .001 and .002, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that alexithymia was more highly correlated with binge eating than with either anorexia or bulimia. In addition, a significant history of trauma and health problems for those who reported as binge eaters was reported. Implications for practice are discussed.

Coming to Terms With Risk Factors for Eating Disorders: Application of Risk Terminology and Suggestions for a General Taxonomy

The aims of the present review are to apply a recent risk factor approach (H. C. Kraemer et al., 1997) to putative risk factors for eating disorders, to order these along a timeline, and to deduce general taxonomic questions. Putative risk factors were classified according to risk factor type, outcome (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, full vs. partial syndromes), and additional factor characteristics (specificity, potency, need for replication). Few of the putative risk factors were reported to precede the onset of the disorder. Many factors were general risk factors; only few differentiated between the 3 eating disorder syndromes. Common risk factors from longitudinal and cross-sectional studies were gender, ethnicity, early childhood eating and gastrointestinal problems, elevated weight and shape concerns, negative self-evaluation, sexual abuse and other adverse experiences, and general psychiatric morbidity. Suggestions are made for the conceptualization of future risk factor studies.

The Importance of Father Love: History and Contemporary Evidence

This article explores the cultural construction of fatherhood in America, as well as the consequences of this construction as a motivator for understudying fathers—especially father love—for nearly a century in developmental and family research. It then reviews evidence from 6 categories of empirical studies showing the powerful influence of fathers’ love on children's and young adults’ social, emotional, and cognitive development and functioning. Much of this evidence suggests that the influence of father love on offspring's development is as great as and occasionally greater than the influence of mother love. Some studies conclude that father love is the sole significant predictor of specific outcomes after controlling for the influence of mother love. Overall, father love appears to be as heavily implicated as mother love in offsprings’ psychological well-being and health, as well as in an array of psychological and behavioral problems.