Beschreibung:
Previous research has shown that families with an anorexia nervosa patient are not a homogenous group. The purpose of this study was to see in what way these families differ from each other. Forty‐nine families with a child suffering from anorexia nervosa were examined. They were rated by independent observers who, on the basis of a videotaped family task, evaluated family interaction using Beavers‐Timberlawn's rating schedule. Family members completed the self‐report questionnaires Family Climate, FARS and SCL‐90. The subscale family style from the Beavers‐Timberlawn schedule was found to provide a meaningful description of families with an anorexia nervosa patient. According to this subscale, anorexia nervosa families fall into three groups: centripetal, centrifugal and balanced. The centrifugal group differed from the two other groups in that the patients expressed more psychopathology and family dysfunction. This group of families probably requires a special form of treatment.