Attachment theory and development of eating disorders

@ Dr Irina Webster MD

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Attachment theory explains the bond or tie between a child and an attachment figure, a parent or guardian. Nowadays it is starting to become obvious that children with insecure attachment styles are prone to eating disorders more so than children with secure attachments.

When children interact with parents in the first 5-7 years of life some children feel that their parents are a reliable source of comfort and security. These children most likely will develop secure attachment style and become well-adjusted adults.

Other children may feel that their parents (or caregivers) are not that reliable and don't give them the sense of security, support and comfort when it's needed. Some parents may even reject their children in terms of providing emotional comfort. These children probably will develop an insecure attachment style and will compensate for their emotional discomfort with food, alcohol and/or drugs when they grow up.

Now we know that a lot of eating disorder sufferers turn to their disorder to find security, comfort and emotional stability.

Related Coverage

• Eating Disorders
The reported incidence of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and compulsive overeating has grown immensely in recent years
• Is Your Child At Risk Of Developing An Eating Disorder?
Therapists normally assure parents that nobody is to blame for to child's eating disorder and that the causes of anorexia, bulimia and binge eating to are not fully known. These But scientists have been able to identify the exact risk factors for developing conditions. It was found that to there is to strong connection between children avoiding conflict and how they manage their behaviors and their eating disorders. Compulsive Eating disorder sufferers tend to have family members who struggle with depression, alcohol dependency, drug abuse, anxiety, perfectionism, obsessive thoughts and behaviors, or to are real goal orientated people with to fixation on succeeding at all costs.
• Eating Disorder During Her Pregnancy
Eating disorders that may occur are anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating \"(as many food in the shortest possible time). These eating disorders are actually dangerous for both the pregnant woman and the unborn child. Women with eating disorders have additional medical help their pregnancy as healthy as possible to bear. The body of a pregnant woman during her pregnancy, just one more calories than non-pregnant, so the development of the child support.
• Effects of Disordered Eating
Eating disorders are serious and can lead to other health problems, including drug addiction and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Furthermore, they can put a tremendous strain on the personal, educational, spiritual and financial aspects of one\'s life.

Food is something that is always readily available and will bring temporary emotional comfort to a sufferer: so it seems an easy way out of their emotional problems.

There is no blame on the parents of course because eating disorders are complex and many factors have to come together for a person to develop the disorder. But what we do know now is that a cold parental attitude, very high expectations placed on a child, parental abuse or rejection are all factors that can force a child to turn to an eating disorder.

As a rule, most eating disorders sufferers (nearly all) have insecure attachment styles: anxious and avoidant styles.

Because attachment style is developed in the first years of life, it is understandable that a predisposition to an eating disorder is built earlier in life (probably in the first 5-7 years of life) that previously realised.

A childs attitude toward their parents (caregivers) is also directly connected to their attitude of themself, their body and self-esteem, their thoughts about the world and the people around them. It is also connected to their perception of safety (about the world being a safe place or not). All these factors as we now know influence the development of eating disorders in young children and teenagers.

To conclude, attachment style is something we should look at when talking about the prevention of eating disorders. We need to educate parents regarding how they can make their children feel more secure and comfortable inside their own self. Developing a secure attachment style in children will help prevent eating disorders in many young people.

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