‘Children as young as seven’ (Doherty, 2011, p.09) are being admitted into hospitals to receive treatment for Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Bulimia Nervosa (BN), both eating disorders (ED) characterised by restricting and bingeing the amount of food they intake. Both stress and social support are factors which can lead to having negative effects on a child if they are implemented incorrectly. In saying this, stressful circumstances such as bullying and a need to live up to parent’s expectations can be both socially and psychologically stressful for a child to have to experience. Similarly, social support is a key factor in reducing the number of children being diagnosed with eating disorders as it enables a child to understand the importance of good friendships and can help a child avoid suffering from social phobia.
Although nobody knows the exact causes of AN; (Ehrlich, 2008, Causes Section, para.10) ‘many experts agree that several factors work together in a complex fashion to lead to the eating disorder’. Children can often ‘feel worried, anxious and unable to cope’ (Wilkinson and Marmot, 2003, pg.12) if parents continue to stress their child to meet high expectations. Evidence shows that ‘Women with eating disorders are less effective in their coping than women without eating disorders’ (Troop, Holbrey and Treasure, 1998, pg.157), therefore coping with an ED at a young age would be much more difficult. ‘Continuing anxiety, insecurity, low self-esteem, social isolation and lack of control’ (Wilkinson and Marmot, 2003, pg.12) have powerful effects on an individual and can often result in premature death, these factors could be further emphasized due to major life changes such as a parental divorce. Evidence shows that 33% of those with Anorexia Nervosa felt responsible (Troop, Holbrey and Treasure, 1999, pg. 162). Therefore it is necessary to consider if parental