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"My Whole World Fell Apart": Parents Discovering Their Child Has Anorexia Nervosa
Emily P Williams1, Shelly Russell-Mayhew1, Nancy J Moules1
1University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Abstract:
This was the first study to examine the experience of parents who discover their child was living with anorexia nervosa (AN), thus fulfilling a critical gap in the eating disorder literature. Gadamerian hermeneutic inquiry was the guiding philosophy and method used to investigate this topic. Dialogues with parents revealed the ambiguity inherent within discovery; the isolation, betrayal, and loss felt by parents; and the complicated family dynamics occurring during the process of discovering one's child has AN. As such, when discoveries are made, parents play a vital role in the development and functioning of the family's response to the situation. This research offers health care providers a better understanding of the difficult times parents and caregivers experience when discovering their child has AN.
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