A new study has found that eating disorder symptoms are reduced when there is a strong family link. Eating disorders are being fought every day, around the world, by a lot of adults and youth. They are complex mental health issues, and part of the “cause” could be the constant pressure by social media for young girls (and boys) to appear a certain way in order to be “pretty” or “perfect.” However, they can be extremely damaging, and they can even be fatal, so it is always important to look into what can be done to help those who are suffering.According to Medical Xpress, a study was done that showed that symptoms of eating disorders are reduced when there is strong family identification. The study was done by Nottingham Trent University, and it can be read in full here.RELATED: Food Insecurity May Cause Disordered Eating Behavior Later In LifeThis means that those who identify strongly with their family are more likely to have less severe symptoms because they are not as lonely as those who are not as close to their family. This can help families understand how important a connection is for their children who may be showing signs of an eating disorder.The study involved asking more than 300 people who stated they had an eating disorder questions about their family. They were asked about their family identification, their loneliness and their eating disorder severity. They also focused on the pandemic, and at the beginning of the lockdowns, those with eating disorders had heightened anxiety about finding food for their meal plans, exercise limits and loss of support. Their levels of anxiety and eating disorder symptoms were “extremely elevated.”

However, they found that across the board, those who had a strong connection with their family showed a drastic reduction in their loneliness, and that led to a drastic reduction in the severity of their eating disorder symptoms. When youth, or anyone, had a strong link with their family, they did not feel as lonely during the pandemic, and this could stand to reason in a world when there is no pandemic also.

If people know that they have a support system, and they have a family they can trust and talk to, it is going to help them. This study also shows that families play a large part in recovery for eating disorders and this information can help intervention and treatment down the road for even more youth.

Sources: Medical Xpress, Wiley Online Library