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THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ADULT EDUCATION - DERIVED SUPPORT GROUP FOR THE PARENTS OF VICTIMS OF ANOREXIA NERVOSA
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder of alarming frequency. Recent statistics show that over 3 percent of the female college population is affected by this phenomenon. Researchers estimate that by 1990 one of every 100 American women may be a victim of anorexia nervosa. The male population is not immune with men accounting for approximately 10 percent of diagnosed anorexics. The anorexic often has a distorted body image that renders her unable to see herself realistically; therefore the significant others in her life, usually the parents, must initiate treatment. That fact prompted undertaking this research. The purpose of this investigation was to determine: (1) what parents of anorexic children needed from an adult education/parent support group; and (2) how to translate those needs into a specific adult education program model. Fifty parents and one grandparent in the Omaha, Nebraska, area participated in a structured interview that investigated parents' educational and support needs. From these responses emerged an adult education program design that incorporated provisions to meet these needs for education and support. The model includes the component of a trained adult educator in direct response to parents' responses. Implications for further research are inherent in the design and results of the study. An investigation should occur to discover significant knowledge and/or attitude differences between groups of participants and non-participants in adult education/support groups. Other research undertakings might involve numerous demographic variables to determine universality or variance among parents' needs. Because all questionnaire respondents in this study are female, researchers could seek to discover whether male and female parents perceive their child's illness similarly or differently.
Subject Area
Adult education|Continuing education
Recommended Citation
HEATER, SANDRA HARVEY, "THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ADULT EDUCATION - DERIVED SUPPORT GROUP FOR THE PARENTS OF VICTIMS OF ANOREXIA NERVOSA" (1983). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8404829.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8404829