Eating Disorders of Daughters as a Consequence of Paternal Alcoholism

Background: In the present retrospective study we analyzed the familial risk factors - especially parental alcoholism - for daughters for an eating disorder with a structured clinical interview (Structural clinical interview; SKID). Emotional stress for children, growing up or living with alcoholic parents is analyzed by questionnaire (Children of alcoholics screening test CAST [1],). Objective: The question of the present study is, if growing up in a household with an alcoholic or alcohol-abusing parent could increase the risk for their daughters developing an eating disorder? In a recent study [2] parental alcohol abuse could be found as an important risk factor for their daughters developing an eating disorder. Until now it is not clear, if parental alcohol abuse or other mental disorders are a transmission factor for mental disorders for their daughters. (a) if women with an eating disorder have higher rates of parents with drinking problems (b) if daughters of parents with alcohol problems are at more risk of developing an eating disorder. Results up until now have proved inconclusive. Method: Following two different ways of examination: (a) Assessment of 39 women with an eating disorder (13-26 years) by structural clinical interviews and questionnaires ([1] SKID [2], Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST, scale I "intrapsychical stress" and scale 2 "interactional stress") [3], Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) [4], subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI)) and their parents with structural clinical interviews (SKID); (b) Assessment of 35 healthy women (16-27 years) by additional inquiry of themselves and their parents. Eating disordered patients where at time of questioning attending therapy in hospitals. Results: The results could verify our hypothesis about a connection between an eating disorder of the daughters and parental alcohol-abuse. In sample (a) (eating disordered patients) we found a higher rate of parental alcohol-abuse compared with the control group (7 parents [15 %] of eating disordered women and none of the control group; baseline of the population 1.1-4%). We also found higher rates of depression and an eating disorder of the mothers of patients in contrast to the parents of the control group. Conclusions: Parental alcohol-abuse is an important risk factor for their daughters developing an eating disorder. Results also show that young women are emotionally stressed by depression and eating disorders of the mothers.