Caretaking,Separation From Parents,and the Development of Eating Disorders

The authors investigated the relationship between the cognitive and behavioral indicators of eating disorders and characteristics of codependency, including exaggerated caretaking and constricted emotion. In addition, the role of family environment was investigated through an assessment of separation from parents. College women who displayed more codependent characteristics evidenced higher levels of eating disordered behavior and conflictual separation from parents. The findings suggest that codependency may serve as an additional variable in the relationship between eating disorders and separation/individuation difficulties. Implications for counseling with college women are discussed.