Motivations for engaging in or avoiding conversations about weight: Adolescent and parent perspectives

Abstract

Summary Background Little is known about parent and adolescent motivations for engaging in weight communication. Objectives To assess parent and adolescent motivations for engaging in, or avoiding, weight communication, and whether these reasons differed across sex, race/ethnicity, weight, and engagement in weight management. Methods Independent samples of parents (N = 1936) and unrelated adolescents (N = 2032) completed questionnaires assessing their agreement with different reasons they engage in, or avoid, parent‐adolescent weight communication, using 7‐point Likert scales (strongly‐disagree to strongly‐agree). Results Parents, irrespective of sex, race/ethnicity, and child's weight status, expressed stronger motivations for engaging in weight communication in order for their child to feel good about his/her weight and body size compared to being motivated because a health professional raised their child's weight as a concern. Adolescent motivations for weight communication with parents stemmed from health concerns and worry about their weight; avoidance stemmed from feeling embarrassed, upset, or not wanting to obsess about weight. Differences emerged across sex and race/ethnicity but were most pronounced by weight status and weight management. Conclusion Parents and adolescents have different motivations for engaging in or avoiding weight communication. Protecting adolescents' emotional wellbeing and body esteem are viewed as reasons for both engaging in or avoiding weight communication.

Associations between Parents’ Body Weight/Shape Comments and Disordered Eating Amongst Adolescents over Time—A Longitudinal Study

“…The present study found that more frequent comments from mothers about weight/shape and eating was a significantly predictive factor of EDCs and psychological distress, and that gendered effects were more pronounced with daughters [ 5 , 8 , 20 , 29 ]. However, this was not the case for quality of life, where mothers’ communications appeared to become protective and associated with increased quality of life.…”

“…Parents have been found to be key influences during childhood setting standards for behaviour that continue into adult life [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Whilst parental influence can diminish in middle adolescence [ 4 , 5 , 6 ], it has been found to have an enduring influence on physical and mental health outcomes with adolescents, particularly for eating disorder cognitions (EDCs), setting longer term foundations of communication and behaviours relating to eating, weight, and shape [ 5 , 7 , 8 ]. Adolescence is also a key life-stage for the onset of eating disorder risk factors, including body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, and weight shape concerns [ 9 , 10 ].…”

“…Parents’ concern for their child’s wellbeing and challenges with their growing independence can result in conflictual communication and miscommunications around weight, shape, and eating [ 5 , 8 , 14 , 15 ]. The influence of communication can be direct, such as verbal and targeted (e.g., parent to child), or indirect, such as non-verbal (e.g., eye movements) or when speaking about someone else (e.g., “they look great with a little less weight on their hips”) [ 13 , 16 , 17 ].…”

“…The influence of communication can be direct, such as verbal and targeted (e.g., parent to child), or indirect, such as non-verbal (e.g., eye movements) or when speaking about someone else (e.g., “they look great with a little less weight on their hips”) [ 13 , 16 , 17 ]. Mothers have been found to comment more frequently, particularly to daughters about their bodies and their eating [ 5 , 7 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ], and maternal delivered content has been more attuned to thin-idealisation, while alternations, such as muscle-ideation, are more likely to be reported in father–son communications [ 19 , 23 ].…”

“…Research has investigated the prevalence of positive and negative eating and weight/shape-related comments [ 5 , 7 ], the importance and associations of these comments with mothers and fathers [ 5 , 20 , 24 ], associations between weight talk exposure, psychological distress, and unhealthy eating and/or weight control behaviours [ 13 , 15 , 17 ], maternal encouragement to diet with boys and girls [ 25 ], and the perception and nuances of such communication [ 5 ].…”