Family Communication and Body Satisfaction Among Young Adult Children: Mediating Effects of Social Competence

• In Event: Family Communication: Dynamics and Effects on (Adult) Children

Abstract

Although the link between family-of-origin environment and body dissatisfaction among daughters is well-documented, the mechanism through which family factors may impact daughters' appearance concerns has been relatively unexplored. This study aimed to fill this gap by examining whether or not the association between family factors and daughters’ body satisfaction is mediated by social competence. Female college students (N = 375; M age = 20.19) participated in an online survey which asked them to assess their perception of their mothers’ and fathers’ family communication patterns (FCPs; Fitzpatrick & Ritchie, 1994; Ritchie & Fitzpatrick, 1990). The results showed that only fathers’ conversation orientation was positively related to participants’ social competence and also positively associated with body satisfaction. Possible explanations for the relative importance of fathers over mothers and conversation orientation over conformity orientation will be discussed. Practical implications of the results underscoring the importance of fathers’ conversation orientation will be provided.

Authors

• Emiko Taniguchi, University of Texas, Austin

• Charee Thompson, Ohio University