DUBAI // Parents' high expectations of their first born, particularly girls, are putting the children at risk of developing eating disorders.
The huge pressure of the responsibility to succeed and set a good example can prompt eldest children to rebel by reducing their food intake as a way to regain control over their own lives.
The model child and the one who does well at school are most at risk, experts say.
“Being the first, you end up holding a great deal of the family’s anxieties and expectations,” said Jared Alden of the German Neuroscience Centre in Dubai Healthcare City.
“The oldest child feels a tremendous responsibility to do things the correct way.
“Children, young girls especially, we put so much pressure on them, on the way they look and act – that they have to get on in education but also marry,” said Mr Alden, 51, a psychologist and counsellor with a 20-year background in helping people with eating disorders.
This pressure can lead to girls trying to find one aspect of their life they can fully control and some find that with food management, he said.
“Eating disorders are about control, the ability to control your own life, feelings, failures and your own body.
“In this way older siblings are far more likely to have an eating disorder because of the pressure on the first born.
“They are put in a position of responsibility far more than younger siblings.”
Mr Alden believes between 5 and 8 per cent of young people aged 12 to 18, Emiratis and expatriates alike, suffer from eating disorders. He treats about four patients a month.
“Eating disorders are still something that are successfully hidden here,” he says.
A study by Dr Justin Thomas of Zayed University and Sabrina Tahboub-Schoult of the American University of Sharjah, published last year, suggests three-quarters of young Emiratis suffer with body issues and one in five of those need clinical intervention.
”It is most definitely on the rise,” said Mr Alden, not just in the UAE but in other Arab countries too. He has had patients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Egypt.
Parents and teachers must look for the warning signs, he said. “I would watch for the child who is very quiet, very compliant, the child who never breaks the rules, the ones who are emotionally too easy – in a sense that they never get too upset, almost as if they have a smile pasted on their faces.
“Having a sense of control and rituals are a part of an eating disorder, so the child often does very well at school.” This is the “classic child”, he said.
Both teachers and parents need to reduce pressure on the child. “A lot of people rule with fear,” he said. “You have to let a child fail in your presence.”
Dr Deema Sihweil, clinical psychologist and director of the Carbone Clinic, also in Dubai Healthcare City, said certain dysfunctional family dynamics had a critical influence in shaping the relationship between children and food – although she points out that no one is immune to an eating disorder.
“High pressure from parents, unrealistically set expectations of children and adolescents and pathological eating habits of the parents greatly influence their children’s development,” said Dr Sihweil.
“All of these high expectations can make one who is already predisposed more vulnerable to developing an eating disorder as an attempt to restore control.”
While parenting plays a significant part, it is not the only factor, she said.
“There are equally critical emotional, biological and environmental factors as well.
“Nevertheless, the family is absolutely critical in helping to identify and treat the eating disorder.
“Parents are, of course, the primary caregivers and they should model proper and relaxed attitudes about food and should never use food as a reward or punishment when disciplining children.”
jbell@thenational.ae
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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”