The Effects Of Disordered Eating Behavior On College...
The Impact of Disordered Eating Behavior on College Relationships: A Qualitative Study Research on
eating disorders has historically focused on experiences of those suffering from the disorders;
however, the National Institutes of Health warns that these disorders can also impact suffers families
(Chavez amp; Insel, 2007). The DSM 5 characterizes eating disorders as persistent disturbances in
eating behavior resulting in (a) abnormalities in food consumption or absorption and (b) impairment
of physical health or psychosocial functioning (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Recently
researchers have extended their eating disorder investigations to explore effects of these disorders on
families, finding that a child s eating disorder can cause clinically significant distress in parents and
lead to disruptions in family dynamics (Hillege, Beale, amp; McMaster, 2006; Keitel, Parisi, amp;
Whitney, 2010; Leonidas amp; Santos, 2014). Forty percent of parents who have a child with an eating
disorder experience distress (Whitney, Haigh, Weinman, amp; Treasure, 2007). Family fracturing,
decreased coping ability, sibling distress, personal sacrifice, and social isolation contribute to families
distress (Hillege, Beale, amp; McMaster, 2006; Keitel et al., 2010). Additionally, across the majority
(58%) of studies reviewed, researchers found that feelings of conflict, loss, guilt, and sacrifice were
characteristic of relationships within families whose child is
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