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The Children of Mothers with Eating Disorders

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Abstract

There is good evidence that children of parents with psychological disorders are themselves at increased risk of disturbances in their development. Although there has been considerable research on a variety of disorders such as depression and alcohol, research on the children of parents with eating disorders has been relatively recent. This paper aims to review the evidence and covers a number of areas, including genetic factors, pregnancy, the perinatal and postpartum period, infancy, and the early years of life, focusing on feeding and mealtimes, general parenting functions, and growth. This is followed by a consideration of psychopathology in the children, parental attitudes to children's weight and shape, and adolescence. What is clear is that although there are numerous case reports and case series, the number of systematic controlled studies is relatively small, and almost nothing has been written about the children of fathers with eating disorders. What is evident from the available evidence is that children of mothers with eating disorders are at increased risk of disturbance, but that the risk depends on a variety of factors, and that difficulties in the children are far from invariable. The paper concludes by summarizing five broad categories of putative mechanisms, based on the evidence to date, by which eating disturbance in parents can influence child development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tavistock Centre, London

    Priti Patel

  2. Leopold Muller Department of Child and Family Mental Health, Royal Free and University College Medical School, Royal Free Campus, London

    Rebecca Wheatcroft

  3. Developmental Psychiatry Section, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge. Bedford and Luton Community NHS Trust, Cambridge

    Rebecca J. Park

  4. Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford

    Alan Stein

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  1. Priti Patel
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  2. Rebecca Wheatcroft
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  3. Rebecca J. Park
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  4. Alan Stein
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Patel, P., Wheatcroft, R., Park, R.J. et al. The Children of Mothers with Eating Disorders. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 5, 1–19 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014524207660

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