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Father`s role in infantile anorexia
Gonca Özyurt1, Yeliz Çağan-Appak2, Miray Karakoyun2
1Departments of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, İzmir Katip Çelebi University Medical Faculty, İzmir, Turkey.
Insights
Paternal involvement is key in treating infantile anorexia (IA), a feeding disorder often linked to mother-child relationship issues. Engaging fathers can improve infant feeding and parental dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Child Psychology
- Family Studies
Background:
- Early feeding disorders are primarily non-organic, with mother-child relationship dynamics playing a central role.
- Infantile anorexia (IA) typically emerges between 9-18 months, coinciding with developmental milestones like spoon-feeding and autonomy.
- Organic causes for feeding disorders are less common, necessitating focus on psychosocial factors.
Observation:
- A case study of an 8-month-old girl diagnosed with IA after excluding organic conditions like allergies, reflux, malrotation, and neurological issues.
- The infant's IA was treated through parental relational regulation and active father participation.
- The study observed that mother-child relational disturbances and conflicts correlated with decreased dyadic reciprocity and inappropriate feeding affect.
Findings:
- Mother-child relational disturbances and conflicts are associated with infantile anorexia.
- Decreased dyadic reciprocity and non-appropriate affects during feeding are linked to IA.
- Paternal involvement in infant caregiving can be an effective component of IA treatment.
Implications:
- Effective treatment for non-organic feeding disorders requires attention to maternal mental health.
- Integrating fathers into infant caregiving and treatment processes is crucial for managing IA.
- Understanding and addressing the relational dynamics between parents and infants can improve feeding outcomes.
Abstract:
Özyurt G, Çağan-Appak Y, Karakoyun M, Eliaçık K, Baran M. Father`s role in infantile anorexia. Turk J Pediatr 2018; 60: 608-611. Organic diseases account for only 16-30% of early feeding disorders. During the infancy period, mother-child relationship is in the center of feeding and disturbances in this relationship can also cause feeding disorders. Infantile anorexia (IA) usually begins within the first three years of age, but it has most commonly been observed to emerge between 9 and 18 months of age, a time during which babies transition to spoon and self-feeding. It is also worth noting that babies start to gain autonomy during this time frame. The present study discusses the case of an 8-month-old girl diagnosed with IA after ruling out food allergies, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, malrotation, and neurological problems. The patient was diagnosed with IA was treated with the relational regulation of parents and active participation of her father during the treatment process. It is found that mother-child relational disturbances and conflicts decreased dyadic reciprocity and non-appropriate affects in feeding times are associated with IA. Effective treatment strategies for non-organic feeding disorders might be developed by giving importance to maternal mental health and providing paternal involvement in baby caregiving.