Parenting by patients with eating disorders: Experiences with a mother-child group

Parenting concerns of women with histories of eating disorders

“…4 Indeed, many seek treatment because they are aware of the negative effects their ED has on their children. 5 These concerns appear warranted. The offspring of women with EDs are at risk for perinatal mortality, premature birth, low birth weight and birth defects, and are more likely than controls to develop feeding problems and nonorganic failure to thrive.…”

“…7,[11][12][13] Women with AN histories appear particularly vulnerable to relapse postpartum, even if they have been asymptomatic for years. 5,11 For others, the desire to lose weight after childbirth triggers ED initiation. 6,14 Nutritional Deficiencies among Offspring of Mothers with AN Children of mothers with AN appear to be at risk for malnourishment.…”

“…Case studies have indicated that children imitate their mothers' restricting behaviors and express desires to be as thin as their parent. 4,5 Some children of mothers with AN manifest rigid eating behaviors outside the home, including skipping school lunches and avoiding sweets even when their mother was not present. 4 …”

“…22 AN-related behaviors, including preoccupation with food and overexercise, consume considerable time and disrupt family activities. 5,14 In addition, children of mothers with EDs often take on adult roles, including comforting their parent, monitoring her diet, and cooking. 14 …”

Anorexia nervosa: Definition, epidemiology, and cycle of risk

“…Not only are they likely to inherit genes that influence risk for AN, but they may also be exposed to environments that are in part shaped by the parental genotype that increase the likelihood of expression of the underlying risk genotype (e.g., appearance or fitness focus, restrictive eating patterns). As described in detail in Mazzeo et al (this volume) and Coulthard, Blissett, and Harris, 95 although mothers with EDs are typically very concerned about their children's well-being, and do not appear to harm them intentionally, 96,97 lingering effects of eating disorders can influence the creation of environments that increase rather than decrease the likelihood of expression of a genetic predisposition to eating disorders in offspring. Such environments may include difficulties with maintaining breast feeding, 50,98 tense and inappropriate mealtime behaviors, 99,100 and appearance focus 50,97,101,102 and result in childhood feeding problems which themselves have been implicated as risk factors for later eating disorders.…”