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Mothers, daughters and dieting: Investigating the transmission of weight control
Author(s) -
Hill Andrew J.,
Franklin Julie A.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
british journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.479
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8260
pISSN - 0144-6657
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1998.tb01275.x
Subject(s) - dieting , psychology , developmental psychology , snacking , context (archaeology) , attractiveness , physical attractiveness , disordered eating , daughter , ambivalence , clinical psychology , obesity , eating disorders , weight loss , social psychology , medicine , endocrinology , paleontology , evolutionary biology , psychoanalysis , biology
Objectives . Research by Pike & Rodin (1991) found higher levels of weight concern and dissatisfactions with family functioning in mothers of eating disordered adolescent girls. The present study sought to extend this research by examining the maternal influences on weight and dieting concerns at a younger age. Design . A cross‐sectional comparison of high and low dietary restraint girls and their mothers was used. Methods . Two groups of 20 11‐year‐old girls and their mothers completed assessments of dietary restraint, body shape preference, self‐perception, family functioning and body weight and height. Results . Mothers of high restraint girls did not differ from comparison mothers in their current level of dieting, but did report more between‐meal snacking and fasting. In addition, they rated their daughters' attractiveness significantly lower than the other mothers. Furthermore, families with a highly restrained daughter scored significantly lower on perceived family cohesion, organization and moral‐religious emphasis. Conclusions . The parallel with the findings of Pike & Rodin supports the role that mothers may play in the transmission of cultural values regarding weight, shape and appearance. Importantly, it also places early dieting within a wider context of dissatisfaction with family functioning.