Attachment styles and eating disorders: The combined effect of mothers’ and fathers’ mental states

Till now results concerning associations between eating disorders and attachment styles are very inconsistent. Furthermore the distinction between restricting and purging anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder seldom has been taken into consideration. Rarely it was studied the link between patients’ and their parents’ IWMs, and in no research work the match between the IWMs of patients’ mothers and fathers has ever been considered. The present study was designed to address these points. Results show a prevalence of ambivalent and avoidant IWMs in patients and their mothers, of avoidant ones in fathers, with disorganization more present in clinical population than in controls. In some cases fathers were predominant caregivers. It appears that patients were experiencing dysfunctional rearing styles by both their parents. A great mismatch between fathers’ and mothers’ IWMs was also found, mainly in restricting anorexia. Implications of an intergenerational transmission of attachment for clinical psychology are discussed. Keywords: intergenerational transmission of attachment, eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, role of mothers and fathers.

Finora i risultati concernenti l’associazione tra disturbi alimentari e attaccamento sono piuttosto contraddittori. Inoltre raramente è stata presa in considerazione la distinzione tra anoressia restrittiva, purgativa, bulimia nervosa e disturbo binge eating. Di rado è stata indagata l’associazione tra IWM dei pazienti e quelli dei loro genitori e in nessuno studio è stato considerato l’accordo tra gli IWM delle madri e quelli dei padri. Scopo del presente lavoro è stato indagare tali aspetti. I risultati mostrano una prevalenza di IWM ambivalenti ed evitanti nei pazienti e nelle madri, evitanti nei padri, con la disorganizzazione più presente nella popolazione clinica che nei controlli e rivelano esperienze di caregiving disfunzionali da parte di entrambi i genitori. In alcuni casi i padri erano figure di attaccamento principali. Emerge, inoltre, un forte disaccordo tra gli IWM dei genitori, specialmente nell’anoressia restrittiva. Vengono discusse le implicazioni cliniche connesse alla trasmissione intergenerazionale dell’attaccamento.