Family functioning in anxiety and eating disorders--a comparative study.

This study examines ratings of family functioning in families of origin and current (marital) families by patients with anxiety disorders (ADs) and compares them with known population means and with similar ratings by patients with eating disorders. Subjects were drawn from the Anxiety Disorders and Eating Disorders clinics of The Toronto Hospital, each group consisting of a consecutive sample. Family functioning was assessed using the general and self-rating scales of the Family Assessment Measure (FAM). Patients with ADs rated their families of origin less favorably than established population norms (general and self-rating scales, P < .001). Ratings by patients with ADs did not differ from comparable ratings by patients with eating disorders. AD patients' less favorable ratings of family of origin suggest a perception of significant family dysfunction. However, the similarity in ratings between AD and bulimia nervosa (BN) subjects suggests that this is unlikely to be specific to having an AD.