The feeding experiences of mothers with daughters who suffer from eating disorders: investigating the transgenerationality / As experiências alimentares de mães com filhas portadoras de transtornos alimentares: investigando a transgeracionalidade

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2010

RESUMO

Feeding is a very complex object of study that involves many scientific areas, including sociology, anthropology, psychology and nutrition that investigate this interesting phenomenon. Up until now, it is known that it assumes a social and affective function among people. The symbolic quality of foods is inserted in the social relation context, considering the family a very important instrument to teach rituals and dietetic rules. From the affective point of view, feeding, first having breast feeding, is considered the first link between the mother and the baby, and this process happens naturally when there is a harmonious relation between both. Considering the studies about psychic heritage, specially the one that comes from transgenerational elements, the goal of this research was to understand the meaning and the emotional experiences of feeding of mothers who have daughters with eating disorders. The theory was based on qualitative, descriptive and exploratory research. Five mothers of young people who suffer from eating disorders took part in this study and they attended meetings to have psychological support at Grupo de Assistência em Transtornos Alimentares do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (GRATA-HCFMRP-USP) during the year of 2008. A semi-structured guide was used as an instrument to collect the data, and the interviews were recorded and written out verbatim. From the data analysis some aspects related to feeding and its social-psychocultural quality appeared with the following themes: breast feeding, feeding and affection, and feeding after a daughters eating disorder. It was seen that these motherslife experiences considering their own feeding influenced their wishes, the keeping of feeding traditions or the change in them as well as the building of bonds between them and their daughters. The childhood memories brought up family memories and also memories of feeding routine having their grandmothers and their mothers as very important characters in this process, showing that at least two generations are responsible for transmitting eating habits and feelings. It was evident that these mothersnutritional necessities were not only based on the foods nutritional qualities, but also sought for affection, care and attention. They tried to change traditions and customs they inherited so they could try another way to give and receive food. However, it was seen that the meanings and importance of feeding to these mothers were related to the values taught by their own mothers. All of them presented some feeding restriction because of family financial difficulty or because of some resistance to the idea of eating certain kinds of food during childhood. According to these results, it is thought that the difficulties these mothers have concerning feeding and the bonds built from the relation to their own mothers tended to be repeated with their daughters. This suggests the existence of heritage that preceded them and crossed generations. There is no pretension to find or point victims or anyone to blame who could justify the existence of transgenerational heritage of feeding disorders, other studies are needed to increase the knowledge about this phenomenon that many times impede a creative living.

ASSUNTO(S)

eating disorders transmissão feeding herança transmission heritage transtornos da alimentação alimentação

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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