Family perception of interpersonal behavior as a predictor in eating disorders: a prospective, six-year followup study.

Abstract

This study assessed family perception patterns of interpersonal behavior in families with a daughter diagnosed with an eating disorder 6 years after treatment that used a prospective design. Family perception patterns of patients found to have a poor outcome at followup (n = 15) were compared with patients with a good outcome (n = 23), as well as a control group (n = 36). Using the system of multiple level observation of groups (SYMLOG), all 238 family members evaluated themselves and each other. The index patients with a poor outcome perceived themselves as friendlier and more positive than they were perceived by their families. In comparison to parents of daughters with a good outcome and the control group, parents of daughters in the poor outcome group perceived themselves to be less friendly than their partners perceived them to be. A rigid polarization of the perception of the index patient by family members and a discrepancy in this perception between the index patient and the rest of the family were found to be indicative of a poor prognosis. Implications for treatment based on family perception patterns of interpersonal behavior are discussed.

• Authors: W Herzog, K T Kronmüller, M Hartmann, G Bergmann, F Kröger
• Journal: Family process (Fam Process) Vol. 39 Issue 3 Pg. 359-74 ( 2000) ISSN: 0014-7370 [Print] United States
• PMID: 11008653 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Behavior
• Family (psychology)
• Feeding and Eating Disorders (epidemiology, etiology)
• Female
• Follow-Up Studies
• Humans
• Interpersonal Relations
• Male
• Prognosis
• Prospective Studies
• Time Factors