title: The relationship between adult attachment orientation and child self-regulation in eating: The mediating role of persuasive-controlling feeding practices.
abstract: The present study examines the hypothesis that adult attachment orientation, specifically anxious attachment, is related to children's diminished ability to self-regulate their food intake, and that this relationship is mediated by parents' persuasive-controlling feeding practices. Two hundred and sixty five mothers and fathers of preschool children completed online questionnaires that included measures of Adult Attachment Orientation, Parental Persuasive-Controlling Feeding Practices, and Child Self-Regulation of Eating. Structural equation modeling revealed a significant relationship between parental anxious attachment and child self-regulatory abilities, which was fully mediated by parental persuasive-controlling feeding. Also as predicted, parents' avoidant attachment was found to be unrelated to persuasive-controlling feeding and child self-regulated eating. Findings suggest that parents with an anxious attachment orientation may be more likely than other parents to try to use persuasive techniques to control their children's food intake, which may impair children's ability to regulate their food intake, increasing their obesity risk. Implications for intervention are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Houston, Department of Psychological, Health and Learning Sciences, 491 Farish Hall, Houston, TX 77204, United States. Electronic address: empowell2@uh.edu.
authors.forename: Elisabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.affiliation: University of Houston, Department of Psychological, Health and Learning Sciences, 491 Farish Hall, Houston, TX 77204, United States. Electronic address: lafrankel@uh.edu.
authors.forename: Leslie A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Frankel
authors.affiliation: Masaryk University, Institute for Research on Children Youth and Families, Joštova 10, 602 00 Brno, The Czech Republic. Electronic address: tomoumemura@mail.muni.cz.
authors.forename: Tomo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Umemura
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Austin, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, 200 W. 24th Street, Stop A2700, Austin, TX 78712, United States. Electronic address: nancyhazen@mail.utexas.edu.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hazen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D000068356:Self-Control / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adult attachment orientation; Appetite regulation; Child eating behavior; Controlling feeding; Feeding practices; Parent child relations