Abstract
This paper is a qualitative exploration of the relationship themes between a father and his daughter, when she has an eating disorder. It aims to explore the different themes within three father/daughter dyad interviews, to determine commonalities and trans-generational experiences. The Adult Attachment Interview was carried out with each of the participants, along with an open unstructured interview regarding their attitudes around the eating disorder. These interviews were then analysed using an interpretative analysis of the emerging themes, drawing upon Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, and also an analysis of more defended aspects of their narratives. Common themes emerged for each of the dyads: Distancing self from reality, History of power and abuse, Projected roles within the family, Critical of self and troubled relationships within the family and Loss. The findings suggest that each of the participants struggled to connect to the emotional content of the interviews. The paper concludes by exploring attachment in an attempt to understand the relationship between the father and his daughter, in relation to eating disorders. Clinical implications are offered, in respect to work with eating disorders and relational therapy. The implications are discussed both in terms of the findings of the research but also how the research process and methods can be incorporated into clinical practice.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ainsworth, M., Blehar, M. C., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Bachar, E., Kanyas, K., Latzer, Y., Canetti, L., Bonne, O., & Lerer, B. (2008). Depressive tendencies and lower levels of self-sacrifice in mothers, and selflessness in their anorexic daughters. European Eating Disorders Review, 16, 184–190.
Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base. London: Routledge.
Brown, L. S. (1985). Women, weight and power: Feminist theoretical & therapeutic issues. Women and Therapy, 4(1), 61–71.
Bruch, H. (1973). Eating disorders: Obesity, anorexia nervosa and the person within. Houston: Basic Books.
Bruch, M. (1978). The golden cage: The enigma of anorexia nervosa. London: Harvard University Press.
Canetti, L., Kanyas, K., Lerer, B., Latzer, Y., & Bacher, E. (2008). Anorexia nervosa and parental bonding: The contribution of parent-grandparent relationships to eating disorder psychopathology. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 64(6), 703–716.
Crittenden, P. (2005). A dynamic-maturational model of attachment. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 27, 105–115.
Dallos, R. (2004). Attachment narrative therapy: Integrating ideas from narrative and attachment theory in systemic family therapy with eating disorders. Journal of Family Therapy, 26, 40–65.
Dallos, R., & Denford, S. (2008). A qualitative exploration of relationship and attachment themes in families with an eating disorder. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 13(2), 305–322.
Evans, C., & Street, E. (1995). Possible differences in family patterns in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Journal of Family Therapy, 17, 115–131.
Fitzgerald, J. F., & Lane, R. C. (2000). The role of the father in anorexia. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 30(1), 71–84.
Fonagy, P., Gergely, G., & Target, M. (2007). The parent-infant dyad and the construction of the subjective self. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 48(3), 288–328.
Giorgi, A., & Giorgi, B. (2008). Phenomenology. In J. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods (pp. 53–80). London: SAGE Publications.
Grice, H. P. (1975). ‘Logic and conversation’ In P. Cole, & J. Morgan (Eds.), Syntax and semantics, Vol. 3, (pp. 41–58). New York: Academic Press.
Hedlund, S., Fichter, M. M., Quadflieg, N., & Brandl, C. (2003). Expressed emotion, family environment, and parental bonding in bulimia nervosa: A 6-year investigation. Eating Weight Disorder, 8, 26–35.
Holmes, J. (2005). John Bowlby and attachment theory. London: Routledge.
Howe, D. (2005). Child abuse and neglect: Attachment, development and intervention. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Jones, C. J., Leung, N., & Harris, G. (2006). Father-daughter relationship and eating psychopathology: The mediating role of core beliefs. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 45, 319–330.
Latzer, Y., Hochdorf, Z., Bachar, E., & Canetti, L. (2002). Attachment style and family functioning as discriminating factors in eating disorders. Contemporary Family Therapy, 24(4), 581–599.
Liotti, G. (2004). Trauma, dissociation and disorganised attachments: Three strands of a single braid. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research Practice and Training, 41, 472–486.
Minuchin, S., Rosman, B., & Baker, L. (1979). Psychosomatic families: Anorexia nervosa in context. London: Harvard University Press.
NICE Guidelines. (2004). Eating disorders: Core interventions in the treatment and management of anorexia nervosa bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders. http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/cg009niceguidance.pdf.
Ogden, J., & Steward, J. (2000). The role of the mother-daughter relationship in explaining weight concern. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 28(1), 78–83.
Palazzoli, M., Cirollo, S., Selvini, M., & Sorrentino, A. (1989). Family games: General models of psychotic processes in the family. London: W.W. Norton & Company.
Ringer, F., & Crittenden, P. (2007). Eating disorders and attachment: The effects of hidden family processes on eating disorders. European Eating Disorders Review, 15, 119–130.
Rowa, K., Kerig, P., & Geller, J. (2001). The family and anorexia nervosa: Examining parent-child boundary problems. European Eating Disorder Review, 9, 97–114.
Smith, J. (1995). Part 1: The search for meanings: Semi-structured interviewing and qualitative analysis. In J. Smith & R. Harre (Eds.), Rethinking methods in psychology. London: Sage Publications.
Smith, J. A. (2004). Reflecting on the development of interpretative phenomenological analysis and its contribution to qualitative research in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 1, 39–54.
Smith, J., Jarman, M., & Osborn, M. (1999). Doing interpretative phenomenological analysis. In M. Murray & K. Chamberlain (Eds.), Qualitative health psychology: Theories and methods (pp. 218–240). London: SAGE Publications.
Smith, J., & Osborn, M. (2008). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In J. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods (pp. 53–80). London: SAGE Publications.
Steele, H., & Steele, M. (2008). Clinical implications of the adult attachment interview. London: Guildford Press.
Stierlin, Helm., & Weber, Gunthard. (1989). Unlocking the family door. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Tereno, S., Soares, I., Martins, C., Celani, M., & Sampaio, D. (2008). Attachment styles, memories of parental rearing and therapeutic bond: A study with eating disordered patients, their parents and therapists. European Eating Disorders Review, 16, 49–58.
Ward, A., Ramsay, R., Turnbull, S., Benedettini, M., & Treasure, J. (2000). Attachment patterns in eating disorders: Past in the present. The International Journal of Eating Disorders, 28(4), 370–376.
White, M. (1983). Anorexia nervosa: A trans-generational system perspective. Family Process, 22(3), 255–273.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hooper, A., Dallos, R. Fathers and Daughters: Their Relationship and Attachment Themes in the Shadow of an Eating Disorder. Contemp Fam Ther 34, 452–467 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-012-9204-8
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-012-9204-8