Cultural variability in Expressed Emotion among families of adolescents with anorexia nervosa

Abstract

Objective: To examine the cultural variability in Expressed Emotion (EE) among families of white and ethnic minority adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN).

Method: One-hundred and eighty-nine AN patients and their parents completed the Eating Disorder Examination and the Structured Clinical Family Interview, from which EE ratings were made.

Results: No differences were found in the number of white and minority families classified as high EE. White families were higher on warmth (W) and tended to be higher on positive remarks (PR) than minority families. High EE was associated with a longer duration of illness, but was not related to eating disorder pathology.

Discussion: Few differences were found between white and ethnic minority families on the EE dimensions of CC, hostility (H), or EOI. Differences between families on W and PR, however, may have important treatment implications.