[The role of mother-child relationship in development of self-image, dysfunctional attitudes and coping strategies].

INTRODUCTION

Our study consisted of two interrelated work stages. In stage one, we set the goal to investigate coping styles and dysfunctional attitudes in patients with eating disorders. In stage two we studied the relationship between coping styles of the patients and mother-child interactional patterns, considering the role of communication in development of stress handling and problem management.

PURPOSES: 1. Revealing characteristic coping patterns of the patients, comparing the coping styles to conrtrol subjects; 2. identifying dysfunctional attitudes in patients' thinking; 3. testing the hypothesis about existence of relationship between dysfunctional attitudes and coping; 4. finding out whether any dysfunctional attitudes or coping styles can be related to processes in mother-child communication.

SUBJECTS: There were 28 participants in the first stage (9 subjects with anorexia nervosa, 10 subjects with bulimia nervosa and 9 control subjects). In stage two, 20 subjects (5 patients with anorexia, 5 with bulimia together with their mothers) were studied.

METHODS

We used two questionnaires: Anxiety Handling Questionnaire and the Beck-Weissman Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS), shortened version. The Consensus Rorschach was administered in order to reveal interactional dynamics. In summary, 1769 code units were analyzed.

RESULTS

Our subjects, primarily subjects with bulimia nervosa, used more self-punishing coping compared to control subjects. Dysfunctional attitudes were found to have an effect on coping style. The present results indicate some possibilities for explanation hov fragile self-image, dysfunctional attitudes and self-punishing coping patterns may develop in the patients as a possible effect of mother-child interaction dynamics.