"Ångest inför varje måltid" - En studie om familjers upplevelser och hanterande av en närståendes ätstörning

Sammanfattning: Eating disorders are seen as a growing social problem everywhere in the Western world today. We see it in everyday life and in the social work practices. Eating disorders and overall problems with food are not new phenomena, but are seen as more accute problems today. This study is focusing on how the family members of an affected person experience and handle the process involving the illness. The study includes disorders as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and general eating disorders. Written interviews have shown that relatives find it both stressful and complicated to have a member in the family affected by an eating disorder. The families have experienced a lot of conflicts, but the relations within the families have grown stronger along the process. The study has shown that also within one family there are many ways to deal with the eating disorders. This has been connected to theories of coping strategies, meaning strategies on how to cope in psychologically stressing and strenous situations.