Dysfunctional family systems: relationships to disordered eating behaviors among university women

Clinicians have speculated that the appearance and maintainance of eating-disordered behavior may be attributed to certain familial characteristics which predispose vulnerable individuals to the development of these behaviors. However, few empirical studies exist to substantiate these speculations. This study compared the responses of 190 female university students on three self-report instruments: the Disordered Eating and Weight Control Instrument (DEWCI), the Eating Disorders Instrument (EDI), and the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES III) to identify potential relationships between eating-disordered behavior and family types. Subjects were classified, on the basis of their scores on the FACES III, into one of three family types: balanced, midrange, or extreme. A one-way analysis of variance with main effect for family type was applied to the eating-behavior subscales. A Turkey multiple comparison test was applied to the significant main effects. Women classified in the extreme family type scored significantly higher (p less than .05) on several measures of eating-disordered behavior. A Distance From Center (DFC) linear score also was computed and correlated with the eating-disordered subscales. All but 4 of the 18 measures correlated significantly (p less than .05). These findings support speculation, particularly that of family theorists, that eating-disordered behavior may be a symptom response and/or coping strategy for women in dysfunctional families.