Gender Differences in Parental Influences on Adolescent Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating

Abstract

This study explored gender differences in the relationship between parental influences and body dissatisfaction and disordered eating among offspring. Participants were 221 male and 380 (63%) female French high school students of mean age 16 (SD =.95) years old, from the Toulouse area, who completed a survey exploring parental influences, body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness and bulimic symptoms. Girls (compared to boys) perceived more maternal comments regarding both their own weight and shape, and the importance of physical appearance. Parental variables explained a larger amount of the variance in girls' body dissatisfaction and disordered eating (compared to boys'). Findings support both a cumulative model and a gender-linked model of transmission of attitudes and behaviors related to shape and eating.

Gender and Age Group Differences in Mass Media and Interpersonal Influences on Body Dissatisfaction Among Chinese Adolescents

“…While much of the past literature is based on within-gender effects and adolescents in the U.S. (Ata et al 2007;Jones 2004), Europe (e.g., Knauss et al 2008;Rodgers et al 2009) or Australia (e.g., Humphreys and Paxton 2004;Vincent and McCabe 2000), this research illustrated unambiguous gender differences in susceptibility to general appearance pressure from mass media and close social ties, appearance comparisons with peers, and physical attractiveness as a focus of discussion with close friends in two samples of urban Chinese adolescents. Relative elevations among girls are in line with the contention that physical attractiveness and appearance ideals are more central to the identity of Chinese females (Jung et al 2010) than Chinese males.…”

“…Empirically, appearance pressure from one or both parents has been found to predict body dissatisfaction or eating disturbances in adolescent girls and boys from France (Rodgers et al 2009), Australia (e.g., Vincent and McCabe 2000), and the United States (e.g., Field et al 2001). Appearance pressure from friends or peers also correlates with body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls (e.g., Ata et al 2007;Shroff and Thompson 2006) and boys (e.g., Vincent and McCabe 2000).…”

“…For example, compared to boys, adolescent girls report more pressure directed at shape, weight, and weight loss from parents (e.g., Ata et al 2007;Rodgers et al 2009;Vincent and McCabe 2000) and peers (Ata et al 2007). At the same time, boys report relatively more pressure from friends and family to gain muscle (e.g., Ata et al 2007;McCabe and Ricciardelli 2005).…”

“…For example, gender differences in body dissatisfaction have been documented among Western adolescents including American 13-19 year olds (e.g., Ata et al 2007;Jones and Crawford 2006), 11-17 year old Australians (Vincent and McCabe 2000), French 16 year olds (e.g., Rodgers et al 2009), Irish 12-18 year olds (Lawler and Nixon 2011), and Swiss 14-16 year olds (e.g., Knauss et al 2008). Such differences extend to adolescents in Asian nations including 12-15 year olds in South Korea (Jung et al 2009) and 12-19 year olds in mainland China (Chen and Jackson 2009;Chen et al 2006;Xie et al 2006).…”

The Relationship between Mother-Daughter Self-Objectification: Identifying Direct, Indirect, and Conditional Direct Effects

“…Responses were averaged to reflect an overall score of daughters' perceptions of mothers' weight-related concerns, such that higher scores demonstrated higher levels of mothers' concern for appearance and weight. Although the current sample's reports of maternal care obtained marginal levels of reliability (α = .67), the Mother Influence Scale has been used in past research and has demonstrated acceptable reliability in nonclinical samples in the U.S. and France (Keery et al 2004;Rodgers et al 2009). …”