Análisis comparativo de las representaciones mentales parentales de apego en pacientes adolescentes femeninas con anorexia nerviosa

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa is a serious and complex morbid entity, with relevant physical consequences, where different causal factors act in its appearance and maintenance. Social changes, with a greater involvement of the father in the care Of children, make it suggestive to study the role of the father in the factors of development, maintenance and protection in eating disorders. The scientific literature on eating disorders has focused the study of attachment on the mother-daughter relationship, marginalizing the role of the father. This study compares the parents' mental representation of attachment of 43 adolescent patients (13-17 years) with Anorexia Nervosa. Patients were found to have a mental representation of attachment from their parents that was 50% secure, with a clear match between the parents. The Patient, s communication with her mother was greater than with her father, without specifying the characteristics that differentiate them from communication with the father. The other variables such as trust or alienation are similar between both parents. The level of security is significantly higher with the mother. A high level of maternal security is negatively correlated with serious dietary indicators, such as body dissatisfaction and the drive for thinness. In relation to the father, it has been observed that it does not correlate with body dissatisfaction or with the drive for thinness.