Affectionless Control: A Risky Parenting Style for the Development of Obesity in Adulthood

Abstract

Background: Obesity prevalence is rising globally in the last decades with heavy health and economic burden. Early attachment experiences are relevant co-factors for the development of obesity in adulthood. The present research assessed a large group of subjects affected with obesity, either with or without binge-eating disorder (BED) and compared them with non-obese healthy subjects to find out the childhood parenting styles specifically associated with obesity and/or BED. Methods: 810 clinically referred adult participants with obesity (357 with BED and 453 without BED), mean age 41∙7 years, and 463 healthy subjects were administered measures of perceived parental style (Parental Bonding Instrument), personality traits (Temperament and Character Inventory), and psychopathology (Eating Disorder Inventory-2, Symptom Cheklist-90, and Beck Depression Inventory-II). Outcomes: BED and non-BED participants showed lower maternal and paternal care and higher overprotection with respect to healthy subjects. BED patients reported worse levels of care than non-BED. A parenting style defined as “affectionless control” was more frequenty reported by both BED (OR=6∙39 for father and 5∙48 for mother) and non-BED patients (OR=4∙93 for father and 4∙57 for mother), with significantly stronger association if both parents displayed the same parenting style (OR=8∙68 for BED and 6∙63 for non-BED). The risk for BED attitudes is related to maternal neglectful parenting with a low OR. Interpretation: Maternal and paternal “affectionless control” may represent an important risk factor for the pathogenesis of obesity in adulthood, with an OR comparable to the risk of smoking 20 cigarettes per day for lung cancer. Optimal parenting and affective constraint parenting styles are protective towards obesity. Because parenting attitudes are influenced by acculturation and psychoeducation, prevention of obesity in western countries should promote also healthy parenting styles. Funding: The present research did not receive any economical support. Declaration of Interest: The authors declare non conflict of interest with the present publication. Ethical Approval: All recruited participants provided written informed consent to this study. All the procedures were conducted according to the 1995 Declaration of Helsinki as revised in Edinburgh in 2000. Study was approved by the Ethics Committee of AOU City of Science and Health, Turin (protocol number: CS2 366).