A six-year prospective study on children of mothers with eating disorders: the role of paternal psychological profiles

Background: Several studies have suggested that maternal eating disorders (ED) represent a significant risk factor for children’s affective and behavioral development. Yet, little emphasis has been placed on the paternal role. Objectives: The present longitudinal study aims to clarify the role of maternal eating disorders and the influence behind paternal psychological profiles on their children’s emotional development. Method: Our sample is composed of N=64 families with firstborn children selected through nurseries, primary schools and outpatients’ clinics in Central Italy. Parents and children have followed a six-year longitudinal protocol that included a diagnostic interview conducted by clinicians (SCID-I), a self-report (SCL-90-R) and a report-form (CBCL) questionnaire. Results: The role of mothers’ ED on their children’s emotional development is confirmed. Moreover, fathers’ anxiety and obsessive-compulsive problems in association with mothers’ ED and depressive symptoms seem to influence the onset of both internalizing and externalizing difficulties in their children over time. Conclusion: Our results suggest the significant role of fathers’ psychopathological risk in children’s emotional problems having mothers with eating disorders.