Relationship of family communication patterns to eating disorder inventory scores in adolescent girls.
This study attempted to identify risk factors for the development of the psychological and behavior traits associated with eating disorders. Subjects were 454 healthy, high school girls; their responses to the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) were correlated with information obtained through a personal-background questionnaire. Students who perceived their guardians as persons who always lectured them about their problems or discounted the importance of their problems scored significantly higher on the eight EDI subscales than did respondents who reported other perceptions. Students who perceived their guardians as unwilling to listen to their problems tended to score higher on all the EDI subscales; significant differences were found between the scores of those responding "always" and "never"/"rarely" willing to listen. Students who responded that they were always uncomfortable discussing problems with their guardians tended to have a higher mean score on all but the Drive for Thinness and Body Dissatisfaction subscales. The empirical data on the family interaction patterns support the theory that certain family relationships contribute to the development of the psychological and behavior traits assessed by the EDI.
Department of Home Economics, Concordia College, Moorhead, MN 56562.
B J
BJ
Larson
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires