The Developmental Psychopathology of Eating Disorders: Implications for Research, Prevention, and Treatment

by Smolak; Linda

• ISBN13: 9780805817461
• ISBN10: 0805817468
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-04-01
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Although eating problems--ranging from body dissatisfaction and dieting to anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa--can begin and typically have their roots in childhood, theory and research in developmental psychopathology and developmental psychology have not received substantial attention in eating disorders research. This book provides crucial background material from both fields, and then makes direct applications to numerous aspects of the field of eating disorders including theory, research, treatment, and primary prevention. This book was born out of a transaction between frustration and optimism. The frustrations reflected the limitations of current knowledge about eating problems and disorders. Etiological "causes" which are sensitive and specific to eating disorders have been elusive. Although there is some understanding of risk factors, little is known about protective factors. This has made prevention, among other things, difficult. Furthermore, the mechanisms underlying the association between risk factors and disordered eating are poorly understood. For example, it is known that women are at greater risk than men are, but clinicians are hard- pressed to get beyond gender-based speculations and demonstrate why this is true. The optimism grows from familiarity with the field of developmental psychopathology. It seems evident that this approach has much to offer the field of eating disorders. This book is an early step in the integration of developmental psychopathology into theorizing, research, treatment, and prevention of eating disorders. It addresses four specific goals: * to introduce the principles and methodologies of developmental psychopathology, * to review the work of developmental psychologists in several major areas of behavior relevant to understanding the causes, treatment, and prevention of eating disorders, * to apply developmental psychopathology principles to the area of eating disorders, both in the form of theoretical models and in specific areas/issues raised by developmental psychopathology, and * to discuss the implications of developmental approaches for prevention programs and treatments.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Contributors	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xv
References	p. xxii
Introduction to Developmental Psychopathology	p. 1
The Principles of Developmental Psychopathology: Illustration From the Study of Eating Disorders	p. 3
References	p. 23
Methodological Implications of a Developmental Psychopathology Approach to the Study of Eating Problems	p. 31
References	p. 52
Contributions from Developmental Psychology	p. 57
Liability to Psychopathology: A Quantitative Genetic Perspective	p. 59
Acknowledgments	p. 74
References	p. 75
The Developmental Course of Social Support: Family and Peers	p. 77
References	p. 101
The Sense of Self and Its Development: A Framework for Understanding Eating Disorders	p. 107
References	p. 130
Development of the Gendered Self	p. 135
References	p. 152
Attachment, Organization, and the Coherence of Individual Development	p. 157
References	p. 178
The Implications of Developmental Research for Eating Disorders	p. 183
References	p. 199
Developmental Issues and Eating Disorders	p. 205
Adolescent Transitions and the Development of Eating Problems	p. 207
References	p. 229
Media as a Context for the Development of Disordered Eating	p. 235
References	p. 253
The Role of Race in the Development of Eating Disorders	p. 259
References	p. 278
Developmental Vulnerabilities for Eating Disorders	p. 285
References	p. 304
Implications for Treatment and Prevention	p. 311
Development and Evaluation of a School-Based Eating Disorder Symptoms Prevention Program	p. 313
Acknowledgments	p. 337
References	p. 337
Content and Method of Developmentally Appropriate Prevention Programs	p. 341
References	p. 358
The Changing Context of Treatment	p. 365
References	p. 392
Conclusions, Implications, and Future Directions	p. 399
References	p. 413
Author Index	p. 417
Subject Index	p. 435
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.