Relations between quality of attachment and eating disorders

This diploma thesis focuses on the relations between attachment quality and eating disorders. The main goal is to map how girls with an eating disorder understand their illness and what the disorder signifies to them within their family system. In the theoretical part of the thesis, eating disorders are delineated. There is an emphasis on risk factors for eating disorders, and a comprehensive approach to their explanation is presented in terms of different theoretical schools. The next part is devoted to the attachment theory with an emphasis on the development from childhood to adulthood. The theoretical foundations of the Parental Bonding Instrument are presented. Furthermore, the attachment theory is linked to the occurrence of eating disorders. In the empirical part of the thesis, the methodological aspect of the research, which was carried out with three girls who have experienced eating disorders, is first introduced. The research design combines the method of semi-structured interviews with the method of using a tool measuring the quality of bonding with parents, specifically the Parental Bonding Instrument. It has been shown that the quality of the relationship with parents influences the onset, course, and duration of eating disorders in a child, adolescent, or young adult. The..