Parental bonding and eating disorders: a systematic review

Amanda Tetley; Nima G Moghaddam; David L Dawson; Mike Rennoldson

doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2013.10.008

Parental bonding and eating disorders: a systematic review

Eat Behav. 2014 Jan;15(1):49-59. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2013.10.008. Epub 2013 Oct 22.

Authors

Amanda Tetley¹, Nima G Moghaddam², David L Dawson³, Mike Rennoldson⁴

Affiliations

¹ Trent Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, University of Nottingham and University of Lincoln, Institute of Work, Health and Organisations, Yang Fuji Building, Jubilee Campus, Wollaton Road, Nottingham NG8 1BB, United Kingdom. Electronic address: lwxacte@nottingham.ac.uk.
² Trent Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, University of Nottingham and University of Lincoln, Institute of Work, Health and Organisations, Yang Fuji Building, Jubilee Campus, Wollaton Road, Nottingham NG8 1BB, United Kingdom. Electronic address: nmoghaddam@lincoln.ac.uk.
³ Trent Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, University of Nottingham and University of Lincoln, Institute of Work, Health and Organisations, Yang Fuji Building, Jubilee Campus, Wollaton Road, Nottingham NG8 1BB, United Kingdom. Electronic address: ddawson@lincoln.ac.uk.
⁴ Trent Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, University of Nottingham and University of Lincoln, Institute of Work, Health and Organisations, Yang Fuji Building, Jubilee Campus, Wollaton Road, Nottingham NG8 1BB, United Kingdom. Electronic address: michael.rennoldson@nottingham.ac.uk.

PMID: 24411750
DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2013.10.008

Abstract

This article systematically reviewed studies of parental bonding in people with eating disorders. MEDLINE, PsychINFO, EMBASE and CINAHL were searched to identify studies that compared parental bonding in people diagnosed with an eating disorder relative to non-clinical controls. Twenty-four studies were identified. Women with eating disorders typically reported lower parental care and higher parental protection compared to non-clinical, but not psychiatric, controls. Interestingly, a modest number of studies found that these relationships were mediated by avoidant problem solving style and several schemas from the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ; Schmidt, Joiner, Young, & Telch, 1995). While there are methodological limitations associated with the reviewed studies, they do offer some support for the proposal that difficulties in parent-child relationships predispose women to eating disorders and other psychiatric diagnoses.

Keywords: Eating disorders; Parental bonding; Systematic review.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Feeding and Eating Disorders / diagnosis
Feeding and Eating Disorders / psychology*
Female
Humans
Parent-Child Relations*