Psychology Research and Behavior Management (Feb 2023)

Parental Stress on Children’s Appearance, Body Dissatisfaction, and Eating Behaviours in Chinese Children: A Pathway Analysis

  • Liu K,
  • Zhang J,
  • Liu S,
  • Chen J,
  • Zhang Y,
  • Li W,
  • Fu H,
  • Fu L

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 16
pp. 363 – 372

Abstract

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Keke Liu, Juan Zhang, Songhui Liu, Jiaoyan Chen, Ya Zhang, Wenxiu Li, Han Fu, Lianguo Fu Department of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Lianguo Fu, Tel +86-13195529639, Fax +86-5523175215, Email [email protected]: This study aimed to analyze the association pathways of parental stress on children’s appearance, body dissatisfaction, and eating behaviours in Chinese children and adolescents.Patients and Methods: The children aged 8– 15 years were selected from 2 nine-year schools using stratified cluster random sampling. The appearance-related social stress questionnaire and the body dissatisfaction subscale of EDI-1 were used to investigate parental stress on children’s appearance and body dissatisfaction, respectively. The self-administered eating frequency questionnaire was used to investigate children’s eating behaviours.Results: Body dissatisfaction in girls mediated associations between BMI, parental teasing, parental injustice and ignorance, parental encouragement and healthy eating behaviour: BMI → body dissatisfaction → healthy eating behaviour, parental teasing → body dissatisfaction → healthy eating behaviour, parental injustice and ignorance → body dissatisfaction → healthy eating behaviour, parental encouragement → body dissatisfaction → healthy eating behaviour. Parental injustice and ignorance directly and negatively predicted healthy eating behaviour in girls. In boys and girls, parental teasing was a direct predictor factor of unhealthy eating behaviour.Conclusion: Parental teasing, parental injustice and ignorance, parental encouragement, and BMI through body dissatisfaction positively predicted healthy eating behaviour in girls, parental injustice and ignorance directly negatively predicted healthy eating behaviour in girls, and parental teasing directly positively predicted unhealthy eating behaviour in girls and boys. Therefore, parental pressure on children’s appearance may pay important role in children’s eating behaviours.Keywords: parental stress on children’s appearance, body dissatisfaction, eating behaviour, children and adolescents

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