Parenting styles & FT-AN
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploration of the possible relationship between parenting styles and treatment outcomes from family-based interventions for anorexia nervosa in adolescents.
IRAS ID
320905
Contact name
Lucy Serpell
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2023/02/25 social research, UCL Data Protection Registration
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
This study will aim to investigate the possible relationship between parenting styles and treatment outcomes for adolescents receiving family-based interventions (family therapy and other interventions) for an eating disorder (anorexia nervosa). It has been suggested that more young people than ever before are waiting for and receiving treatment for eating disorders; it is therefore important to understand which treatments might be the most effective for adolescents, their carers and family members. Given that a significant proportion of adolescents who receive family therapy treatment for anorexia nervosa do not demonstrate good recovery outcomes, it may be helpful to understand whether dynamics within the family (e.g. parenting style) may impact treatment. Whilst it is clear that involving families in the treatment process can have positive outcomes for adolescents, it is not yet known whether family-based treatments work simply due to the support and involvement of families, or whether specific processes take place in parents which leads to the treatment’s efficacy.
This research will therefore explore whether differences in parenting styles are associated with treatment outcomes for adolescents with anorexia receiving family-based interventions. The parenting styles we will investigate are: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and uninvolved. Authoritative parents are nurturing, responsive, and supportive, yet set firm limits. Contrastingly, authoritarian parenting is characterised by very high expectations for children with a lack of feedback and responsiveness from the parent. Permissive parenting has been conceptualised as “indulgent”, with children being allowed to make their own rules and decisions with little guidance from parents. Finally, uninvolved parenting is associated with the child’s needs being neglected. Previous research has demonstrated that “emotional eating” in children was linked to dismissive responses from parents towards children’s’ negative emotions. Higher levels of eating disordered symptoms have also been associated with authoritarian and permissive parenting styles.
REC name
London - Surrey Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/LO/0495
Date of REC Opinion
25 Jul 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion