Predicting the development of Anorexia - Essay Example

The present study aims to identify the possible correlation between different adult attachment styles to the vulnerability of developing eating disorders. The susceptibility of developing anorexia is higher among the insecure attached people than those secure attached. Attachment relationships remain important throughout the life. While female adolescent and young adult are most likely affected by anorexia the vulnerability may vary across attachment styles. A group of 50 female patients aged 18-30, who fulfilled DSM-III-R criteria for typical anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa will be studied.

They will undergo an interview to assess their attachment styles by using the relationship questionnaire (RQ) created by Bartholomew and Horowitz. Pearson correlation analyses will be performed afterwards to calculate the correlation among the variables. The results may be useful in risk assessment. Eating disorders are one of the most common forms of mental health problem and are associated with increased risk to life. The most common mental health problems in clinical practice are depression, eating disorders and anxiety disorders.

The mortality rate is very high for eating disorders. Anorexia, when it is simply a physical symptom, can be caused by a range of problems, not necessarily psychological, which is why when it is part of an eating disorder, it is often called anorexia nervosa, in order to distinguish it. The overwhelming majority of people with eating disorders are heterosexual women. An estimated 10 per cent of all cases of eating disorders are male. A very interesting case in point is the study of anorexia in Hong Kong by Lee (2001: 40-54).

Usually anorexia nervosa is associated with the fear of getting fat. This is an important feature of the differential diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV (DSM IV) for anorexia. The prevalence of eating disorders in young women in Hong Kong and other high-income cities are on the rise. Their earlier study revealed that the prevalence of disordered eating in Hong Kong is related to body dissatisfaction, family dysfunction, and depression in the adolescent females. Chinese adolescent females demonstrate Western pattern of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating attitudes.

The psychosocial vulnerability factors are closely linked with it, and in the coming time, the authors predicted, there would be more weight control behavior and eating disorders (Lee and Lee, 1996). In their study in 2000, they commented that societal modernization is the cause of it (Lee and Lee, 2000). Another interesting feature is that they had no fear of getting fat, but they refused food in order to express their worries or to assert themselves in the family (Lee, 2001). Thus self-evaluation has a role to play in these disorders.

AimThe present study aims at identifying the possible correlation between different adult styles of attachment to the risk of developing eating disorders.ObjectivesThus far, the therapeutic measures available for eating disorders are inadequate. Better interventions are possible if the mechanism is delineated further. If a correlation between these eating disorders and attachment style in the adulthood is established, then