"Father Hunger" is the emptiness experienced by women whose fathers were physically or emotionally absent—a void that leads to unrealistic body image, yo-yo dieting, food fears and disordered eating patterns. The term, which is now part of the psychology lexicon, originated with the first edition of this work in 1991.

After having completed a decade's worth of further investigation, Dr. Maine has updated the information about men and their daughters in this second edition. She offers a new crash course on being a girl in today's culture, based on her expertise as a leading eating disorders prevention advocate. This edition describes the origins of father hunger and its effect on the family, with even more practical solutions to help fathers and daughters understand and improve their relationships. Also included is an expanded section for educators and therapists to help them more effectively prevent and treat the problems that occur between dads and daughters.