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Eating attitudes among Asian schoolgirls: The role of perceived parental control
Author(s) -
Ahmad Sameena,
Waller Glenn,
Verduyn Chrissie
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/1098-108x(199401)15:1<91::aid-eat2260150111>3.0.co;2-7
Subject(s) - psychology , ethnic group , psychopathology , developmental psychology , psychological control , psychological intervention , operationalization , eating disorders , clinical psychology , psychiatry , philosophy , epistemology , sociology , anthropology
Asian girls living in the United Kingdom have more unhealthy eating attitudes than Caucasian girls. It has been suggested that this difference may be due to “cultural conflicts,” but that term needs to be operationalized by determining the underlying practical and psychological mechanisms. This study examines the role of perceived parental control as a potential mediating factor between cultural issues and eating psychopathology among schoolgirls. Asian girls had a greater level of bulimic attitudes than Caucasian girls, but a significant part of this difference was due to the Asian girls' greater levels of perceived maternal control. Perceived paternal control also masked an underlying tendency for the Caucasian girls to be more dissatisfied with their bodies than the Asian girls. Further research on ethnic issues and their relationship to clinical interventions is discussed. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.