Parental representation in eating disorder patients with suicide.
OBJECTIVE
We examined parental, personality, and symptomatological characteristics in relation to suicide attempts among eating disorder patients.


METHODS
Fifty-one eating disorder inpatients, divided into two groups according to lifetime suicide attempts, and 107 non-psychiatric subjects were compared on the following variables: Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), Global Clinical Score (GCS), Eating Disorder Inventory-91 (EDI-91), Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT), clinical and personality characteristics, and family backgrounds.


RESULTS
Suicidal patients reported significantly higher overprotection by both parents than non-suicidal patients and non-psychiatric subjects. Suicidal patients had a more prevalent history of child abuse, affective instability, unstable self-image, avoidance of abandonment, maladaptive perfectionism, personality disorder, and mood disorder. There were no differences in symptomatological factors or the severity of the eating disorders.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that high overprotection is associated with suicidal behaviour in eating disorder patients. The association between overprotective parenting and personality characteristics, and methods of suicide prevention are discussed briefly.
Yamaguchi
N
N
Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tenno-dai, Ibaraki 305-8575, Tsukuba, Japan. ezt01472@niftyserve.or.jp
Kobayashi
J
J
Tachikawa
H
H
Sato
S
S
Hori
M
M
Suzuki
T
T
Shiraishi
H
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D012649:Self Concept; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires