Primary maternal care and the genesis of eating disorders from the perspective of mothers of young people with anorexia and bulimia

Abstract

Psychoanalytic theory postulates that the emotional foundations of eating disorders (EDs) rest in the early mother-daughter relationship. This qualitative study aimed to investigate the meanings attributed by mothers of patients with anorexia and bulimia to the experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, puerperium, and basic care provided to their daughters in the first years of life. Participants included 7 mothers whose daughters were being treated in a specialized service for EDs. Data were collected by open interviews and organized into categories according to reflexive thematic analysis. Results were discussed in light of Winnicott’s Theory of Human Maturation. The experiences related to motherhood and maternal care were marked by frustrations and negative emotions, with few memories of rewarding experiences with the assumption of the maternal role. The potential repercussions arising from the non-elaboration of intergenerational conflicts inherited and transmitted without transformation by mothers were discussed. These implications could potentially hinder the emotional maturation of daughters, establishing a close relation with the symptoms of EDs.

Keywords:
eating disorders; motherhood; anorexia nervosa; psychoanalysis; Winnicott