Nursing Practice for an Adolescent with an Eating Disorder and a History of Maternal Loss: Perspectives on Attachment Theory and Family Resilience

Abstract

Objectives: This report aimed to examine nursing care for an adolescent with an eating disorder and a history of childhood bereavement from the perspectives of attachment theory and family resilience.

Subjects and Methods: The subject was a junior high school-aged girl with anorexia nervosa whose mother had died when she was 6 years old. This study reviewed medical and nursing records of the patient’s statements and behaviors during hospitalization and the nursing interventions provided.

Results: As her physical and psychological condition stabilized, fragmentary expressions related to the loss of her mother and her feelings toward her family gradually developed into a more coherent narrative. Through ongoing conversations with nurses and keeping an exchange diary involving her father, the patient and her father increasingly shared their thoughts and experiences. Her BMI improved to 16.8 kg/m², and she was able to envision life after discharge.

Discussion: A stable and supportive relationship with nurses may have provided a secure foundation for the patient to verbalize her grief and find meaning in her loss. Support for her father may also have facilitated the sharing of thoughts and experiences within the family.

Conclusion: Nursing care for children and adolescents with eating disorders should address not only physical symptoms but also underlying experiences of loss and grief. Providing a safe and stable relationship in which patients can express their experiences while involving their entire family in the care process may be important.