Abstract
This study examined the association of parents' locus of control (LOC) to child adherence and outcomes in a behaviorally based family treatment for pediatric overweight. A condition-specific multidimensional health LOC measure was administered to parents of 63 overweight children enrolled in a 10-week obesity treatment program. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that parents who reported a strong belief in the influence of powerful others had children who were more successful throughout treatment (p < .01). In contrast, those parents who reported that their child's outcome was due to chance had children with worse treatment outcomes (p < .05). Regarding adherence, parents with strong beliefs in chance and those who felt they were more responsible for the child's weight problem (i.e., higher parent-internal LOC) attended fewer sessions. The findings of this study lend preliminary support to the role of parental LOC in relation to the treatment of pediatric overweight. Research and clinical implications are discussed in light of the findings of this study.
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