“Balancing within a closed family system”: a grounded theory study of how family life is affected by having a family member with an eating disorder

Abstract

Plain English summary This study explores how having an adult daughter or sister with an eating disorder affects the family’s daily life. Previous research shows that having a family member with an eating disorder can have a great impact on the family life by causing distress, guilt, extra burdens, and unmet needs for the family members. In this study, we interviewed 21 parents and siblings from across Norway. Our study aimed to explore how the family members experienced the impact of the eating disorder over time, we, therefore, wanted to interview families of adults with eating disorders. The participants reported a lack of professional help and they were left to themselves as families having to handle the challenges related to the illness. The families established a system for taking care of the family member with the eating disorder. Both the parents and the siblings assumed the role of caregiver, the whole family adapted their meal routines and the families managed to keep an openness within the family. These findings show that families need clarification of roles and responsibilities in relation to the health services in caring for a family member with an eating disorder.

Keywords

• Anorexia nervosa
• Bulimia nervosa
• Family functioning
• Qualitative research
• Grounded theory