Eating Disorders, Parent–Child Conflicts, and Family Therapy in Shenzhen, China

Abstract

In this article, I report the results of a qualitative study conducted in Shenzhen, China, in which I aimed to (a) identify the characteristics of parent–child conflicts between Shenzhen youths suffering from eating disorders and their parents and (b) contextualize these intergenerational conflicts to understand their meanings within the immediate sociocultural context. I have employed multiple-case studies as the research design. Data have been collected through reviews of the family treatment sessions for ten families, each with an adolescent daughter suffering from eating disorders, and with the session being videotaped with written consent from the youths and the families. Emerging from the data were three types of parent–child conflicts: (a) intergenerational control and power struggle, (b) growing up versus remaining childlike, and (c) pursuit of personal goals or living up to parental expectations. Implications for clinical practice are also discussed.