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

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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.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches en Psychopathologie, Université Toulouse-II-Le Mirail, Toulouse, France

    Henri Chabrol

  2. Service de psychiatrie et de psychologie médicale, Hôpital Casselardit, CHU Toulouse, France

    Karine Faure

  3. CERPP, Pavillon de la Recherche, 5, allées Antonio Machado, 31058, Toulouse Cedex 9, France

    Rachel F. Rodgers

Authors
  1. Rachel F. Rodgers
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  2. Karine Faure
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  3. Henri Chabrol
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rachel F. Rodgers.

Appendix

Appendix

Parental Comments Questionnaire

Negative comments

“Tu devrais perdre du poids”

“You need to lose weight”

“Ton physique est très bien, mais tu serais encore mieux si tu perdais un peu de poids.”

“You look great, but you could look even better if you lost some weight”

“On dirait que tu as pris du poids, tu devrais faire attention à ce que tu manges.”

“You look like you’ve put on weight, you should watch what you eat.”

“Si tu veux avoir un beau corps il faut faire plus de sport”

“If you want to look good you need to work out more”

“ Si tu manges ça tu vas grossir”

“ If you eat that you’ll get fat”

“ Pour moi ce n’est pas important, mais toi tu te sentirais mieux si tu perdais un peu de poids”.

“Your figure is not important to me, but you would feel better if you lost some weight.

“Tu as perdu un peu de poids non? Tu es très bien comme ça.”

“You look great, you must have lost weight!”

Positive comments

“C’est pas grave si tu prends un peu de poids, ne t’inquiète pas.”

“It’s ok if you put on some weight, don’t worry about it.”

“Tu es toujours très belle/beau.”

“You always look wonderful.”

“Il faut prendre soin de manger suffisamment pendant la croissance. ”

“You need to make sure you eat enough while you’re still growing”

“Tu n’as pas besoin de perdre de poids.”

“You don’t need to lose weight.”

“C’est ta santé qui compte, pas ton poids”.

“You health is what is important not your weight.”

Importance and comparison comments:

Ma mère m’a dit: “Tu n’as pas besoin de perdre de poids” mais a fait des commentaires sur le poids et le physique de personnes plus minces que moi.

My mother has said to me : “You don’t need to lose weight.”, but made comments about the weight and shape of people who weighed less than me.

Ma mère a fait un commentaire sur le poids ou le physique des personnages à la télévision, dans les magazines, etc...

My mother commented on the shape or weight of people on TV, in magazines etc…

Ma mère a fait un commentaire sur le poids ou le physique de mes ami(e)s.

My mother commented on the shape or weight of my friends.

Ma mère a comparé mon poids ou mon physique à celui de mes frères et soeurs.

My mother compared my shape or weight to my siblings’.

Ma mère a comparé mon poids ou mon physique à celui de mes ami(e)s de même sexe.

My mother compared my shape and weight to my same-sex friends’ shape and weight.

Aux yeux de ma mère, je suis toujours trop maigre ou pas assez mince, mais jamais bien.

In my mother’s eyes, I’m always too thin or not thin enough, never just right.

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Rodgers, R.F., Faure, K. & Chabrol, H. Gender Differences in Parental Influences on Adolescent Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating. Sex Roles 61, 837–849 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-009-9690-9

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