Communication skills of anorexics

Abstract

Familial studies of the parents of anorexics indicate that parents tend to communicate with their anorexic daughters with a combined message of nurturant affection and the neglect of their daughters' needs to express themselves and their feelings. On the other hand, anorexics are ambivalent about disclosing their feelings versus obeying their parents. A previous study revealed that the anorexics have low assertion skills and that an assertion training to these patients sometimes undergoes as a programmed treatment. In this chapter, we attempt to clarify the communication patterns and skills of anorexics. Herein, we introduce our studies on the self-evaluated communication skills and family-evaluated communication skills of the anorexic patients using our original questionnaire on communication skills. To date, we could obtain only preliminary results because of the small number of participating anorexic patients in such a study. The anorexics showed a communication skill score between that of schizophrenic patients and that of normal controls. Our estimation parameters could be divided into three categories, namely cooperative skills, assertive skills and nonverbal skills. The anorexics showed lower skill scores in all three categories compared to the normal controls; in particular, assertive skill score was the lowest among examined groups. Family-evaluated communication skill scores were almost the same as the self-evaluated scores for the total communication skill score and all the three categories. Thereafter, we introduce the efficacy of the social skills training (SST) program or the assertion training program for anorexics. SST did not influence body weight gain but had an effect of maintaining the motivation to undergo therapy. Sessions of open-system SST increased self-evaluated nonverbal communication skills and interpersonal communication skills of anorexics. We also introduce other cognitive-behavioral therapies including assertion training and discuss the efficacy of assertion training or social skills training.