Direct and indirect parental influences on body image dissatisfaction in adult offspring

Body image dissatisfaction is recognized as a significant risk factor for disordered eating behaviors. The influence of parents on their offspring’s body image is examined through two primary avenues: direct criticism related to weight and indirect influence stemming from parents’ own body image dissatisfaction and dieting behaviors. This retrospective study involved 156 participants from a general community sample who completed a survey detailing their experiences of both direct and indirect parental influences during adolescence, alongside their current body image satisfaction. Hierarchical linear regression analysis, adjusted for peer and media influences, revealed that parental influence significantly contributed to offspring body image dissatisfaction (p < 0.001), with direct influence being the predominant factor (p < 0.001). Conversely, indirect parental influence was found to be non-significant (p = 0.899). The findings underscore the critical role of direct parental influence, highlighting the importance of parents promoting positive weight-related behaviors at home to mitigate body image dissatisfaction in their children. [NPID: criticism, disordered eating, body image, parental influence, dissatisfaction]

Year: 2025

Reference: Athaide, Y., Miles, S., Tan, E. J., & Phillipou, A. (2025). Direct and Indirect Parental Influences on Body Image Dissatisfaction in Adult Offspring. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 19(10), e70093. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.70093

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