Abstract
Youth is a critical period in the development of maladaptive eating behaviors. Previous systematic reviews suggest the etiological significance of parent-child relationships for the onset of disordered eating in youth, but less is known about the role of parenting styles. This rapid scoping review aimed to identify whether research supports the role of parenting styles in the development of disordered eating symptoms among youths. Sixteen studies, retrieved from three databases (PsycArticles, PsycInfo, and BASE), met the inclusion criteria: original studies, published in English, examined the effect of parenting styles (authoritative or neglectful) on cognitive (drives for thinness and body dissatisfaction) and behavioral (weight control behaviors) disordered eating outcomes, among young people up to 18 years of age. Studies supported an association between various youth disordered eating symptoms such as unhealthy weight control behaviors, and experiences of adverse parenting styles characterized by high levels of control and low levels of responsiveness. Associations between adverse parenting styles and youth disordered eating were frequently indirect and differed depending on the sex of the parent and offspring. Synthesis of findings was limited due to variation in the operationalization and measurement of parenting styles, family context and disordered eating across studies. Longitudinal and standardized research is required to better understand the dynamic associations between parenting styles and youth disordered eating. Implications for family-based care in clinical practice are discussed.
Highlights
Disordered eating (DE) refers to maladaptive attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions related to eating and weight (Stice et al, 2010), and has been broadly applied to both clinical (Deas et al, 2011) and subclinical (National Health Service, 2018) populations
Given that DE is a frequent antecedent of an eating disorder (ED) diagnosis, evaluating the onset of DE is important for Parenting and Youth Disordered Eating understanding the clinical course of EDs and, the improvement of health among subclinical populations
The present review focused on associations between parenting styles and DE presentation in youth
Summary
Disordered eating (DE) refers to maladaptive attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions related to eating and weight (Stice et al, 2010), and has been broadly applied to both clinical (Deas et al, 2011) and subclinical (National Health Service, 2018) populations. Parenting styles demonstrating increased parental indifference (exhibiting low responsiveness to offspring needs) are associated with a range of ED diagnoses, including anorexia and bulimia nervosa (Grogan et al, 2020) These “unfavorable” parenting styles have been etiologically implicated in later stages of illness (Stice and Van Ryzin, 2019). Parents’ fostering of a nurturing bond with infants is critical; optimal internal working models (predictively guiding future psychosocial functioning) are established by an early secure bond and are necessary for adaptive development (Bowlby, 1977) To this end, there is evidence to suggest insecure attachment styles are both directly (Jewell et al, 2016) and indirectly (Gugliandolo et al, 2020), associated with youth DE. Previous systematic reviews have evaluated the etiological significance of the parent-child relationship for the onset for both clinical and subclinical maladaptive eating behaviors in youth. The current review aims to establish to what extent the evidence suggests that youths with experience of adverse parenting styles present with DE symptoms by systematically reviewing and methodologically evaluating all relevant literature in the field
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