EXPRESSED EMOTION AND PANIC FEAR IN THE PREDICTION OF DIET TREATMENT COMPLIANCE

The ‘expressed emotion’ (EE) of the key relatives of 30 severely obese patients was assessed on intake to a calorie‐restricted diet programme. At the same time the patients and 30 matched controls were administered the MMPI ‘panic‐fear’ scale. After five months on the diet the weight of the patients was measured, and weight loss or gain in the five‐month period was used as an indicator of compliance or noncompliance with the treatment. The results indicated that the obese patients showed more anxiety (measured by the panic‐fear scale) than did the control subjects. Compliant patients had lower panic‐fear scores than did non‐compliant patients, and patients living with a high EE relative were much less likely to comply with treatment than were those living with a low EE relative. Patients with a high EE relative were more likely to have a high panic‐fear score. The results suggest that dietary treatments for obesity need to be accompanied by both individual and family behavioural interventions. 1991 The British Psychological Society