Family Influence On Eating Disorders
Research Proposal:
The Role of the Family on Eating Disorders The proposed research is designed to address the deficit in knowledge regarding the refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height defined as an eating disorder, including lack of information about the impact of family environment and upbringing on children at different age levels and the absence of longitudinal data regarding the role of individual risk factors in developing ED. The three most common types of eating disorders are Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa and binge eating. Researchers have identified common risk factors that can be both contributing or causing the development of an eating disorder. Some of them can predict the onset of any eating disorder whereas others are specific to the onset of a particular disorder. The risk factors may include: body dissatisfaction, negative affect, thin-ideal internalization, dieting, family and social support deficits. In addition, there are some factors that have been shown to be connected to the development of an ED, such as biological, psychological, social and/or …show more content…
interpersonal. Recent overviews of the literature suggest that the role of family in causing or contributing to the illness remains sparse, and to date, data do not support the assertion that families are causal (Grange et al, 2009). Leonidas and Santos (2014) found that family dynamics is the main factor involved in the origin of symptoms. However, Morgan et al. (2002) state that families that include a member with ED present very peculiar patterns of interaction within the family. For example, in families with an individual diagnosed with AN, the features may include rigidity, intrusiveness and conflict avoidance. Whereas, in cases of BN, family environment and organization tends to be more disrupted and disorganized than in cases of AN. In addition, teenage girls and women affected by BN often complain about lack of affection and care within the family. It is also important to notice that relations between father and daughter with ED are usually defined as emotionally distant and devoid of affection (Leonidas & Santos, 2014). The role of the family in AN and BN has been found to have characteristic qualities that differentiate ED families from families where no ED are present, and to differentiate within AN and BN families as well. The focus of the proposed study is on the psychosomatic family, in which an ED is developed in dysfunctional family, one characterized by rigidity, enmeshment, over-involvement and conflict avoidance or conflict non-resolution. The hypothesis is that …. CONTINUE
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Method
Sample
The sample (N = 200) will consist of 200 teenagers (100 boys; 100 girls) between ages 18 and 19 diagnosed with an ED. Participants will be selected as convenience/voluntary sample, but randomly assigned through online forums for ED, such as nationaleatingdisorders.org, eatingdisorderhope.com and myproana.com. Informed consent will be obtained from the teenagers and the participants will sign assent forms. To ensure confidentiality, participant names will be removed from surveys prior to data entry that will further be identified only by a number code. Letters of explanation will be sent to participants meeting the initial criteria based on forum system records. Participant will return the forms by email.
Participating participants will be thanked for their participation and paid a small stipend for their time.
Procedure
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Randomly assigned teenagers will be surveyed online through ED websites by using three most common family functioning scales, such as Family Environment Scale (FES), Family Assessment Device (FAD), and Family Assessment Measure (FAM).
The Family Environment Scale (FES) by Moos and Moos (1981) is a 90-item true-false scale with subscales assessing: cohesion, expressiveness, conflict, independence, achievement orientation, intellectual-cultural orientation, active-recreational orientation, moral-religious emphasis, organization, and control. The FES assesses issues such as independence, conflict, and control and it has been used in a number of ED family studies (Attie & Brooks-Gunn, 1989; Shisslak, McKeon &. Crago, 1990; Williams, Chamove, & Millar, 1990). It has been shown to have good test-retest reliability (Strober,
1981). Another commonly employed scale is the Family Assessment Device (FAD) (Epstein et al., 1983). This is a 53-item self-report questionnaire divided into seven subscales: problem solving, communication, roles, affective responsiveness, affective involvement, behavior control, and general functioning. The second subscale, communication, measures the clarity and directness in the families’ verbal interactions and not the actual communication themes. The roles and behavior control subscales have elements of the concept of boundaries because it assesses the family’s specific roles with clearly delineated tasks and behaviors assigned to each role and the family’s expectations and standards of behaviors in different situations. For example, there is the role of provider for the family and the role of nurturer, and each of these roles has specific expectations associated with them. Lastly, the Family Assessment Measure (FAM) (Skinner, Steinhauer, & Santa-Barbara, 1983) is a three-part self-report questionnaire that assesses general family functioning, individual members’ perspectives of their family role, and different dyadic relationships within the family unit. Similar to the FAD, the FAM subscales assess task accomplishment, role performance, communication, affective expression, involvement, control, values and norms, social desirability, and defensiveness.
The Role of the Family on Eating Disorders The proposed research is designed to address the deficit in knowledge regarding the refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height defined as an eating disorder, including lack of information about the impact of family environment and upbringing on children at different age levels and the absence of longitudinal data regarding the role of individual risk factors in developing ED. The three most common types of eating disorders are Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa and binge eating. Researchers have identified common risk factors that can be both contributing or causing the development of an eating disorder. Some of them can predict the onset of any eating disorder whereas others are specific to the onset of a particular disorder. The risk factors may include: body dissatisfaction, negative affect, thin-ideal internalization, dieting, family and social support deficits. In addition, there are some factors that have been shown to be connected to the development of an ED, such as biological, psychological, social and/or …show more content…
interpersonal. Recent overviews of the literature suggest that the role of family in causing or contributing to the illness remains sparse, and to date, data do not support the assertion that families are causal (Grange et al, 2009). Leonidas and Santos (2014) found that family dynamics is the main factor involved in the origin of symptoms. However, Morgan et al. (2002) state that families that include a member with ED present very peculiar patterns of interaction within the family. For example, in families with an individual diagnosed with AN, the features may include rigidity, intrusiveness and conflict avoidance. Whereas, in cases of BN, family environment and organization tends to be more disrupted and disorganized than in cases of AN. In addition, teenage girls and women affected by BN often complain about lack of affection and care within the family. It is also important to notice that relations between father and daughter with ED are usually defined as emotionally distant and devoid of affection (Leonidas & Santos, 2014). The role of the family in AN and BN has been found to have characteristic qualities that differentiate ED families from families where no ED are present, and to differentiate within AN and BN families as well. The focus of the proposed study is on the psychosomatic family, in which an ED is developed in dysfunctional family, one characterized by rigidity, enmeshment, over-involvement and conflict avoidance or conflict non-resolution. The hypothesis is that …. CONTINUE
Khkjn
Ininini
Ininin
Method
Sample
The sample (N = 200) will consist of 200 teenagers (100 boys; 100 girls) between ages 18 and 19 diagnosed with an ED. Participants will be selected as convenience/voluntary sample, but randomly assigned through online forums for ED, such as nationaleatingdisorders.org, eatingdisorderhope.com and myproana.com. Informed consent will be obtained from the teenagers and the participants will sign assent forms. To ensure confidentiality, participant names will be removed from surveys prior to data entry that will further be identified only by a number code. Letters of explanation will be sent to participants meeting the initial criteria based on forum system records. Participant will return the forms by email.
Participating participants will be thanked for their participation and paid a small stipend for their time.
Procedure
Bksdfbjnvdm;c;s………..
Randomly assigned teenagers will be surveyed online through ED websites by using three most common family functioning scales, such as Family Environment Scale (FES), Family Assessment Device (FAD), and Family Assessment Measure (FAM).
The Family Environment Scale (FES) by Moos and Moos (1981) is a 90-item true-false scale with subscales assessing: cohesion, expressiveness, conflict, independence, achievement orientation, intellectual-cultural orientation, active-recreational orientation, moral-religious emphasis, organization, and control. The FES assesses issues such as independence, conflict, and control and it has been used in a number of ED family studies (Attie & Brooks-Gunn, 1989; Shisslak, McKeon &. Crago, 1990; Williams, Chamove, & Millar, 1990). It has been shown to have good test-retest reliability (Strober,
1981). Another commonly employed scale is the Family Assessment Device (FAD) (Epstein et al., 1983). This is a 53-item self-report questionnaire divided into seven subscales: problem solving, communication, roles, affective responsiveness, affective involvement, behavior control, and general functioning. The second subscale, communication, measures the clarity and directness in the families’ verbal interactions and not the actual communication themes. The roles and behavior control subscales have elements of the concept of boundaries because it assesses the family’s specific roles with clearly delineated tasks and behaviors assigned to each role and the family’s expectations and standards of behaviors in different situations. For example, there is the role of provider for the family and the role of nurturer, and each of these roles has specific expectations associated with them. Lastly, the Family Assessment Measure (FAM) (Skinner, Steinhauer, & Santa-Barbara, 1983) is a three-part self-report questionnaire that assesses general family functioning, individual members’ perspectives of their family role, and different dyadic relationships within the family unit. Similar to the FAD, the FAM subscales assess task accomplishment, role performance, communication, affective expression, involvement, control, values and norms, social desirability, and defensiveness.