How Eating Disorders Affect a Woman’s Ability to Offer Parental Support

How Eating Disorders Affect a Woman’s Ability to Parent
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How Eating Disorders Affect a woman’s Ability to Parent
An eating disorder is a form of psychological disorder characterized by disturbed and irregular eating patterns that may be detrimental to the well-being of a person. Contrary to common beliefs, eating disorders result not only from predisposing factors but also the consequences of numerous negative behavioral attitudes and post-cognitive disturbances that impact the skills, abilities, and lifestyle of the affiliated person (Waller, 2019). Numerous studies have shown that the effects of eating disorders on women, such as social isolation and emotional disturbances, can affect their parenting ability. This paper aims to review the reasoning behind the effects of eating disorders on a woman's ability to offer emotional and physical support to their children.
Overview
There are different reasons why women with eating disorders may neglect some parenting duties. First, women with eating disorders display symptoms, including obsessive-compulsive traits caused by the notion about food intake, size, weight, and body shape, which interfere with the normal pattern of parenting. Symptoms such as obsessive-compulsive can result in extreme behaviors to parents such as using laxatives, exercising excessively, vomiting, purging, and dieting in an attempt to promote weight loss and eating excessively, which can take the attention away from the emotional and physical needs of a child (Cimino, 2018).
Secondly, parents with eating disorders experience disordered perceptions and dysfunctional cognition, leading them to be overly concerned about the weight and bodies of their kids. Most women who suffer from eating disorders often limit their children's food intake because they perceive them as fat or overweight (Waller, 2019). Additionally, it is easier for a child to copy the actions and behaviors of their parents as opposed to following their verbal instructions. This leads to children following a restricted diet similar to the one followed by their parents.
The final factor that affects a woman with an eating disorder's ability to parent is posing as a bad role model to their children. The behaviors of a patient with eating disorders affect their children's attitudes toward food and their perception of their weight and body shape. Children often become aware of the peer pressure regarding physical appearances when they reach adolescence or teenage years. Despite knowing the health consequences associated with it, most children follow in the footsteps of their parent, who is concerned with fitting in and giving in to societal pressure regarding their body shape. Erriu & Cimino (2020) argues that most adolescents are less concerned about dangerous behaviors such as driving while intoxicated or smoking compared to achieving physical attractiveness and a slim body shape. These three reasoning behind the influence of a mother's parent due to eating disorders are discussed below.
General Parenting Functions
Providing a child with adequate nourishment and timely food is a woman's primary role as a parent. Women develop healthy relationships and a means of communication with their children through feeding. Since feeding constitutes 90% of a child's early days, a parent needs to offer undivided attention during this critical period (Monteleone, 2020). Feeding times allow the child to explore new foods, autonomy, and self-gratification. Infants can demand food from their parents based on their likes and dislikes as they grow older. This may pose a challenge for mothers who are preoccupied with negative perceptions regarding body size, shape, and weight. When a mother prioritizes behaviors characterized as bulimic or anorexic, it is difficult for them to provide the child with the attention and time needed during their early stages.
Monteleone (2020) found that daughters of mothers suffering from eating disorders had a suckling rate compared to daughters of mothers living without this condition. The suckling indicates the unconscious behavior of mothers with eating disorders to deny their children adequate nutrients necessary for their development. Parents with an eating disorder tend to be more disruptive and instructive to their children during mealtime. This, whether conscious or unconscious, affects the ability of t...