Poster #90 - Growth Trajectories of Body Dissatisfaction Among Girls Transitioning to Adolescence: Examining Maternal Influences

• In Event: Poster Session 14

Abstract

The present study examined perceived maternal weight communication and its potential relationship with daughter body dissatisfaction. Although previous research has established a cross-sectional link between maternal influences and body dissatisfaction in daughters (e.g., Arroyo & Andersen, 2016; Cooley et al., 2008), few studies have utilized a longitudinal design to examine how perceived maternal weight communication influences the development of daughter body dissatisfaction. The extant literature has established that body dissatisfaction significantly increases during early adolescence, a finding that has been replicated in racially and ethnically diverse samples (e.g., Bearman et al., 2006; Bucchianeri et al., 2013). While body image struggles are multiply determined, previous cross-sectional research has noted significant influences mothers can have on their daughter’s body image. Because mothers frequently also struggle with body dissatisfaction, they often impact their daughters’ body dissatisfaction through role-modeling, daughters’ perceptions of their mothers attitudes toward food, weight, and appearance, and direct feedback to daughters concerning weight and shape (Cooley, et al., 2008). Poor maternal body image simultaneously models an unhealthy relationship with one’s body for the daughter and also may lead to negative mother/daughter body talk. Indeed, Abramovitz & Birch (2000) found that children as young as five years old are shaped by their mothers’ attitudes toward and discussions of dieting. Additionally, Cooley et al. (2008) found that maternal pressure and criticism related to body image and eating led to daughters reporting disordered eating symptomatology as well as body dissatisfaction. Again, however, the majority of this research has been cross-sectional, therefore longitudinal studies investigating how mothers impact the development of body dissatisfaction in daughters is needed.

Ninety-five (N = 95) mother-daughter dyads were recruited from the community and followed from 5th to 8th grade, annually completing questionnaires. For Wave 2 of data collection, the first time point utilized in this study, daughters were between 10 and 12 years old (M = 10.59, SD = 0.52). Daughters reported on their perceived mother-daughter weight communication using a four-item scale compiled for this study. Two items were adapted from Moreno and Thelen’s (1993) Family History of Eating Scale. Sample items include “How much does your mother approve of your weight?” and “Has your mom told you you need to lose weight?” Additionally, daughters reported on their body dissatisfaction (e.g., “I thought that my thighs were too big”) using the corresponding subscale of the Eating Disorders Inventory (Garner et al., 1983).

All variables were correlated in the expected direction (see Table 1). Likelihood ratio-tests indicated that both perceived material weight communication and daughter body dissatisfaction demonstrated linear growth across four timepoints. Longitudinal structural equation modeling indicated that perceived maternal weight communication significantly predicted both higher initial levels and steeper rates of increase in body dissatisfaction as girls moved from 5th to 8th grade (see Figure 1).

High levels of perceived maternal weight communication significantly predicted higher intercepts and steeper rates of change in body dissatisfaction as girls transition to adolescence. These findings hold significant implications for parent education and mother-daughter interventions related to body dissatisfaction.

Authors

• Jessica Hocking, University of Notre Dame
  Presenting Author

• Dawn M. Gondoli, University of Notre Dame