title: Perceptions of parental attitudes toward body and eating: associations with body image among Black and White college women.
abstract: This study examined Black and White young women's perceptions of parental body- and eating-related attitudes and behaviors from growing up and the relations of these parental factors with their current body image. Female undergraduates (97 Black women, 179 White women) completed questionnaires of perceptions of parental attitudes/behaviors related to body image and eating and of their current body image, operationalized as weight/shape concern. Results indicated that perceived parental communication was more strongly related to body image than perceived parental modeling in both ethnic groups, and that there were some differences in how frequently Black and White women reported encountering specific maternal messages about the body or eating. Perceived parental modeling and communication constructs were related to body image in similar ways for both ethnic groups after controlling for BMI. Future research directions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Psychology, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. bardonecone@unc.edu
authors.forename: Anna M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bardone-Cone
authors.forename: Megan B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Harney
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sayen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015146:Midwestern United States; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012938:Social Perception; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult