Abstract

SOUZA, Laura Vilela e; SANTOS, Manoel Antônio dos  and  SCORSOLINI-COMIN, Fábio. Family perception’s about anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Vínculo [online]. 2009, vol.6, n.1, pp. 26-38. ISSN 1806-2490.

This study aims to understand the way that families of people with Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa understand these disorders, its causes and how they view the person with eating disorder. 37 family members participated in this study. They were participants at the psychological support group offered by the eating disorder assistance service called GRATA at the University Hospital of the Medical Faculty of Ribeirão Preto at University of São Paulo. 10 sessions of the group were audio taped and transcript and analyzed using the thematic content analysis. This analysis allowed the researchers to identify "topics/themes" that emerged spontaneously during the group sessions and that were related with the purposes of this study. The results show the pain suffered by these families in the process of giving meaning to the experience of the disease. These families generalize the description of the person with Anorexia and Bulimia as an attempt to explain the problem and make it less threatening. The support group was a significant space to explore these meanings about the disease, to clarify the family member’s doubts and to promote the joint construction of the possibilities to go beyond the challenge that the eating disorders pose.

Keywords : Multifamiliar group; Support group; Eating disorders; Anorexia Nervosa; Bulimia Nervosa.

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