Anorexia nervosa seen from a fathers' perspectives: A thematic analysis

Few studies have explored the views of fathers in relation to daughters diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (AN). The aim of this study was to investigate this aspect. This study was part of a larger study. Fourteen fathers (age 46–68 years) of 14 daughters (age 19–29 years) diagnosed with AN were interviewed between 1996 and 2002. The interview consisted of 15 open-ended questions exploring the views of fathers in relation to their daughters later diagnosed with AN. Following transcription, thematic analysis was used to identify main themes and subthemes based on the data. We identified three themes: “Family dynamic,” “Proximity and distance to the daughter,” and “Commitment and knowledge seeker,” and 10 subthemes. The fathers were involved during the upbringing and the relation to the daughter was important. Different studies show the importance of the paternal role for the daughter's healthy development, and for AN. Not sharing equally, the responsibility of early childcaring, could foster the experience of inadequacy regarding the paternal role in the future. In our study, the fathers considered the mothers to be the experts during the daughters' adolescence. This attitude could have hindered them from understanding their daughters pathological eating problems. This and other studies indicate the importance of viewing the fathers as a resource when planning treatment approaches.