ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the VIPP treatment modified and extended to help mothers with eating disorders to interact with their infants at mealtimes in a more harmonious way. The background research that informed a treatment trial, the piloting of the modified treatment package, and the treatment protocol are described. The trial itself resulted from the findings of a longitudinal observational study of mothers with eating disorders and their infants, the purpose of which was to examine the influence of maternal eating disorder psychopathology on mother-child interaction and child development, including children's feeding and growth. We start with a description of our observational study. We then describe the rationale for the development of a specific treatment, our pilot work for our trial, and details of the ways in which we modified VIPP for the purposes of helping mothers with their eating disorders and their infants. The last section contains a description of the treatment trial and the intervention outcomes.
