The role of the family in childhood and adolescent binge eating. A systematic review.

Abstract

The family has been deemed central in the development and maintenance of childhood and adolescent eating disorders. While family factors in anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and obesity are well-documented and were often reviewed before, less is known about these influences on binge eating. Because family plays an important role especially in childhood and adolescence, the aims of this systematic review are to give an overview on family factors and to describe the parental role in the development and maintenance of binge eating. We searched four major databases for studies on associations between binge eating, loss of control eating and family outcomes published up to April, 2013 in German and English language. Among the 278 non-duplicate citations, 26 studies met inclusion criteria for this study. Consistent evidence for the influence on binge eating was found in lower frequency of family meals, insecure attachment of the child, lower family functioning and more critical comments about weight or shape by parents. Rather inconsistent findings referred to the influence of family structures, a family history of eating disorders, family dieting and parental knowledge about their child’s eating behavior. Gender differences in associations with family relationships and parental weight stigmatization were identified. These findings underline the importance and the specificity of familial factors in binge eating as compared to other eating disorders and obesity. Therefore, family assessment and family based interventions might be helpful in the treatment of childhood and adolescent binge eating. Further research should clarify inconsistent findings using prospective designs.