Perceived and observed family functioning in adolescents affected by restrictive eating disorders

Abstract

Objective: We used the self-reported questionnaire FACES-IV (Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale-IV) to depict the presence of a typical familyfunctioning profile in families with a daughter affected by a restrictive eating disorder. We compared mothers' and fathers' perceptions about their family with each other's and with the clinician's observations. Furthermore, we compared these results with a rigorous standardized evaluation of family functioning, the Lausanne Trilogue Playclinical version (LTPc). Background: Many studies have emphasized the role of family factors in the development and maintenance of eating disorders. Previous work using the LTPc have underscored that families with a member who is affected by anorexia nervosa show dysfunctional dynamics compared with control families. However, the FACES-IV questionnaire showed different results. Method: We enrolled 40 female adolescents (M = 14.7 years, SD = 1.5) suffering from restrictive eating disorders and their parents. Each parent filled in the FACES-IV and participated with their daughter in the videotaped LTPc observation. Results: We found balanced functioning and good agreement between parents on the FACES-IV. However, the LTPc results indicates that parents' perception differs from standardized evaluation.

Risk Factors and Eating Disorders Among Spanish Adolescents: A Systematic Review

“…La literatura científica evidencia que la familia juega un rol importante en el riesgo de que los niños y adolescentes desarrollen un TCA (Mensi et al, 2022;Stillar et al, 2023).Así, los resultados de la investigación de Canals et al (2009) evidencian que ciertas dimensiones cognitivas y comportamentales de los padres tienen una influencia a largo plazo en el riesgo de desarrollo de TCA de sus hijos.…”

“…Por lo que respecta a factores de riesgo familiares, la influencia de la familia en el desarrollo de TCA se ha estudiado desde diferentes perspectivas (Jewell et al, 2016;Kluck, 2010;Mensi et al, 2022;Stillar et al, 2023). Por ejemplo, estudios anteriores afirman que existe un mayor riesgo de desarrollar un TCA en aquellas familias en las que predominan actitudes parentales negativas hacia la alimentación, el peso y la figura (Kluck, 2010), o incluso cuando los propios padres experimentan miedo a implicarse activamente en el proceso de recuperación de sus hijos (Stillar et al, 2023).…”