TY - JOUR 
A1 - Barrios Hernández, Andrea Leonor
AU - González Cuevas, Gustavo
AU - Graell Berna, Montserrat
AU - Blanco Fernández, María Ascensión
T1 - A family-based intervention of adolescents with eating disorders: The role of assertiveness
Y1 - 2017
SN - 0924-9338

UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11268/8090
AB - Introduction
One of the key profile features of adolescents with Eating Disorders (ED) is a difficulty with assertiveness. Indeed, current research points to the importance of these patients’ perception of excessive control exerted by their families. Because these adolescents generally live with their families of origin, family-based variables may impact the development and evolution of psychosocial risk factors associated with this psychiatric disorder.

Objective
To investigate whether adolescents with ED improve on assertive communication as a result of parental assertiveness training.

Methods
The sample was comprised of 50 female adolescents with ED receiving group therapy treatment at Niño Jesús hospital in Madrid. Out of the 77 parents participating in the study, 36 were part of the experimental group and subjected to training in assertive skills (8-week sessions for about 2 hours). In addition, 41 parents formed the control group (with no assertiveness training). Before and after this training (or the same amount of time for the control group), adolescents were administered the psychometric test known as the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS).

Results
A significant increase in RAS scores was found in adolescents whose parents were subjected to the assertiveness training. Moreover, there was a significant decrease in self-restriction scores in patients with ED after their parental assertiveness intervention. No significant changes were observed, however, in the control group.

Conclusions
Our results indicate that providing families with educational tools that aim at developing assertive communication may boost the level of assertiveness in adolescents and, thereby, presumably help in the prognosis of ED.
KW - Adolescentes
KW - Conducta alimentaria
KW - Psicología
KW - Psicología del adolescente
KW - Alimento
LA - eng
ER -