Neuropsychological and family factors conditioning Anorexia nervosa

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Neuropsychological and family factors conditioning Anorexia nervosa

Journal Title: Acta Neuropsychologica - Year 2009, Vol 7, Issue 4

Abstract

Recent research into anorexia nervosa suggests that it results from an interaction between genetic, neurohormonal and environmental factors. The aim of our study was to analyze the mutual relationships between the respective parental roles of mothers and fathers and the aggressive behavior displayed by girls with anorexia nervosa.We studied 20 girls with anorexia, outpatients of psychiatric hospitals in Gdańsk and Lublin, along with a control group of 30 healthy girls matched for age. All subjects completed a preliminary questionnaire and three psychological questionnaires: the Eating Disorder Inventory, the “Emotional Reactivity” questionnaire of adolescent aggression, and the Parental Role Scale.Both mothers and fathers of anorexics use parenting strategies that gradually erode the girls’ sense of autonomy in personal matters, especially the mother. We also observed a number of interesting relations concerning the relationship between parental attitudes and the girls’ displays of aggression, and superficial functioning (with stifled display of emotion) in the families of anorexics.Our results confirm the importance of the environmental factor in the development of symptoms. Once a diagnosis is achieved, therapeutic work involving the entire families of those affected is necessary. Those results which reveal emotional suppression as a stress-coping mechanism testify to the need for patient therapy in the context of the patient’s individual predispositions, at least partly conditioned by neurohormonal factors. Therefore the most effective method would seem to be combined individual and family therapy.

Authors and Affiliations

Teresa Rostowska, Jan Rostowski, Aleksandra Lewandowska-Walter

Keywords

EP ID EP55328
DOI -
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