Maternal effects on daughters' eating pathology and body image

Effects of maternal eating behaviors and attitudes, maternal feedback to daughter about weight issues, mother–daughter relationship closeness, media influences, and mothers' perceptions of daughters shape on daughters' body image and eating pathology were examined using 91 pairs of mothers...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Eating behaviors : an international journal 2008, Vol.9 (1), p.52-61
Main Authors: Cooley, Eric, Toray, Tamina, Wang, Mei Chuan, Valdez, Noreen N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Attitude
Biological and medical sciences
Body Image
Body Mass Index
Culture
Daughters
Eating behavior disorders
Eating pathology
Family Relations
Feeding and Eating Disorders - epidemiology
Feeding and Eating Disorders - psychology
Female
Humans
Mass Media
Medical sciences
Miscellaneous
Mother-Child Relations
Mothers
Nuclear Family - psychology
Personal Satisfaction
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:Effects of maternal eating behaviors and attitudes, maternal feedback to daughter about weight issues, mother–daughter relationship closeness, media influences, and mothers' perceptions of daughters shape on daughters' body image and eating pathology were examined using 91 pairs of mothers and college-aged daughters. Hierarchical multiple regressions using daughters' BMI as the first step were separately performed for daughters' body image and eating pathology. Variables predictive of daughters' body image included negative feedback from mother, mother's disapproval of daughter's figure, and mothers' eating behaviors and attitudes as perceived by daughters. A similar pattern was found for daughters' eating pathology scores with the addition of mothers' tendency to internalize media messages regarding thinness and beauty significantly adding to the prediction. Maternal influence through modeling may be best assessed by using the daughters' perceptions of their mothers because this corresponds to what the daughter was aware of in their mothers' eating attitudes and behaviors. Negative feedback from mothers about daughters' figures and eating patterns significantly increased daughters' difficulties in these areas. Mothers who showed a greater internalization of media messages about thinness were most likely to have daughters with eating pathologies.
ISSN:1471-0153
1873-7358
DOI:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2007.03.001