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Anorexia Nervosa, Parental ‘Expressed Emotion’ and Dropping Out of Treatment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

G. I. Szmukler ,
I. Eisler ,
G. F. M. Russell  and
C. Dare
G. I. Szmukler
Affiliation:
The Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF
I. Eisler
Affiliation:
The Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF
G. F. M. Russell*
Affiliation:
The Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF
C. Dare
Affiliation:
The Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AZ
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

The number of dropouts from a long-term treatment study of patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) was substantial. A variety of social, clinical, parental, and treatment factors were examined for their association with early termination of treatment by the patient or the family. Parents ‘expressed emotion’ (EE) (particularly critical comments), BN, and the type of therapy offered (family or individual) were found to interact in some manner to result in dropping out. Some other aspects of parents' EE were also examined, including a comparison of scores in parental pairs; EE was found to be influenced by social class, and there were significant associations with the patient's symptomatology and social adjustment. There was a strong relationship between mothers' and fathers' scores in parental pairs.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 147 , Issue 3 , September 1985 , pp. 265 - 271
Copyright
Copyright © 1985 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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