Social networks and social support in the context of eating disorders

Abstract

Eating disorders have gained increasing visibility in recent years, arousing strong interest from the scientific community and the general public. They are characterized by severe disturbances in eating behavior. One of the disorders that have attracted most attention lately is bulimia nervosa, which is shaped by repeated episodes of binge eating that evoke feelings of loss of control and, in most cases, are followed by purging rituals such as excessive exercise, self-induced vomiting and abuse of laxatives, diuretics and appetite suppressants. Several authors propose that the existing clutter in the lives of bulimic patients are resultant from the interaction of several factors, including the influence of family dynamics. Based on the hypothesis that the relationships that women with bulimia nervosa stablish throughout life tend to be unstable and very troubled, and that the fragility of the emotional ties may be related to the occurrence of the disorder, this study aims to investigate how these women perceive their familiar, social and personal network in which they operate. This is an exploratory study, descriptive, cross-sectional qualitative approach. The sample will be composed by girls and women with bulimia nervosa, linked to the Assistance Group on Eating Disorders (GRATA)of the Hospital of the Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo (HC-FMRP-USP). The instruments used for data collection will be: semi-structured interview, followed by the application of the genogram and map networks, to be applied individually. The interview will be audiotaped for later transcription and analysis of thematic content. The data will be interpreted with the support of the theoretical framework of social network. It is expected that the results could contribute to an understanding, on the part of professionals, of the way that patients with bulimia nervosa relate with the people in their life context can influence the course of the disorder, contributing to the improvement of treatment strategies and prevention.