eiseEducation

In recent decades, body dissatisfaction in adolescents has received significant attention from clinical researchers. Anxieties and behaviours about weight, shape and size are major concerns for adolescents, and are considered to be one of the most influential factors affecting their psychological well-being. The origins are multifactorial – biological and sociocultural, driving internal narratives about how one is seen by others, as well as by self. Family factors such as Insecure attachment styles feature predominantly, while fears of rejection and abandonment which cannot be expressed, compound negative affect. Alexithymia as a construct must also be understood in the context of personality development and these resulting body image issues. In this webinar, Dr Joan Haliburn will discuss the etiological factors of body dissatisfaction and food restriction in adolescents, illustrating via clinical examples. Treatments will also be briefly looked at.