Abstract
Body image is a key aspect of the development of the self, for which family dynamics are critical. Current review examines evidences from the recent literature regarding the associated and predictive factors of body dissatisfaction emerging within the familiar context. First, it is considered the relationship of the implicit parental role in modeling, and the overt attitudes and beliefs regarding eating habits with body evaluation. Then they examined studies relating familiar interactions to the internalization in the offspring of cultural pressures such as the “thin ideal.” Attachment theory provides a framework within which early significant relationships are coded into stable models of self and others evaluation. Attachment style assessment is today increasingly applied in a wide range of psychopathologies and also in the study of the development of body satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Sometimes research points to different pathways for explaining the interactions with maternal and paternal figures. Longitudinal research generally confirms the influence of the quality of early parent–child relationship on later body dissatisfaction. Thoroughly well-designed studies can pinpoint the age of emergence of body dissatisfaction and modulation of effects of early familiar interactions across the life span. Strategies of familiar intervention and prevention of body image disturbances are discussed.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Stice E, Shaw HE. Role of body dissatisfaction in the onset and maintenance of eating pathology—a synthesis of research findings. J Psychosom Res. 2002;53:985–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3999(02)00488-9.
Amianto F, Northoff G, Abbate Daga G, Fassino S, Tasca GA. Is anorexia nervosa a disorder of the self? A psychological approach. Front Psychol. 2016;7:849. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00849.
Fassino S1, Amianto F, Rocca G, Daga GA. Parental bonding and eating psychopathology in bulimia nervosa: personality traits as possible mediators. Epidemiol Psichiatr Soc. 2010;19(3):214–22.
Rodgers R, Chabrol H. Parental attitudes, body image disturbance and disordered eating amongst adolescents and young adults: a review. Eur Eat Disord Rev. 2009;17:137–51. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.907.
Elfhag K, Linne Y. Gender differences in associations of eating pathology between mothers and their adolescent offspring. Obes Res. 2005;13:1070–6. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2005.125.
Fulkerson JA, Story M, Mellin A, Leffert N, Neumark-Sztainer D, French SA. Family dinner meal frequency and adolescent development: relationships with developmental assets and high-risk behaviors. J Adolesc Health. 2006;39:337–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.12.026.
Paxton SJ, Eisenberg ME, Neumark-Sztainer D. Prospective predictors of body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls and boys: a five-year longitudinal study. Dev Psychol. 2006;42:888–99.
Helfert S, Waschburger P. The face of appearance-related social pressure: gender, age and body mass variations in peer and parental pressure during adolescence. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2011;17:7–16. https://doi.org/10.1186/1753-2000-7-16.
Kluck AS. Family influence on disordered eating: the role of body image dissatisfaction. Body Image. 2010;7:8–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2009.09.009.
Menzel JE, Schaefer LM, Burke NL, Mayhew LL, Brannick MT, Thompson JK. Appearance-related teasing, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating: a meta-analysis. Body Image. 2010;7:261–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2010.05.004.
Amianto F, Fassino S. Psychiatric problems emerging in teens: the situation for the design of future interventions. Acta Psychopathol. 2017;3:1. https://doi.org/10.4172/2469-6676.100073.
Gendall KA, Joyce PR, Sullivan PF, Bulik CM. Personality and dimensions of dietary restraint. Int J Eat Disord. 1998;24:371–9.
Fassino S, Svrakic D, Abbate-Daga G, Leombruni P, Amianto F, Stanic S, Rovera GG. Anorectic family dynamics: temperament and character data. Compr Psychiatry. 2002;43(2):114–20. https://doi.org/10.1053/comp.2002.30806.
Keery H, Berg PV, Thompson JK. An evaluation of the tripartite influence model of body dissatisfaction and eating disturbance with adolescent girls. Body Image. 2004;1:237–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2004.03.001.
Shroff H, Thompson KJ. The tripartite influence model of body image and eating disturbance: a replication with adolescent girls. Body Image. 2006;3:17–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2005.10.004.
Nathanson AI, Botta RA. Shaping the effects of television on adolescents’ body image disturbance: the role of parental mediation. Commun Res. 2003;30:304–31.
Bearman SK, Presnell K, Martinez E, Stice E. The skinny on body dissatisfaction. A longitudinal study of adolescent girls and boys. J Youth Adolesc. 2006;35:229–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-005-9010-9.
Leung N, Thomas G, Waller G. The relationship between parental bonding and core beliefs in anorexic and bulimic women. Br J Clin Psychol. 2000;39(2):205–13. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024515519160.
Bowlby J. Attachment and loss: attachment. New York: Basic Books; 1969.
Mikulincer M, Shaver PR, Pereg D. Attachment theory and affect regulation: the dynamics, development, and cognitive consequences of attachment-related strategies. Motiv Emotion. 2003;27(2):77–102. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024515519160.
Cash TF, Theriault J, Annis NW. Body image in an interpersonal context: adult attachment, fear of intimacy, and social anxiety. J Soc Clin Psychol. 2004;23:89–103. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.23.1.89.26987.
Hardit SK, Hannum JW. Attachment, the tripartite model, and the development of body dissatisfaction. Body Image. 2012;4:469–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2012.06.003.
Cheng HL, Mallinckrodt B. Parental bonds, anxious attachment, media internalization, and body image dissatisfaction: exploring a mediation model. J Couns Psychol. 2009;56:365–75. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015067.
Troisi A, Di Lorenzo G, Alcini S, Nanni R, Di Pasquale C, Siracusano A. Body dissatisfaction in women with eating disorders: relationship to early separation anxiety and insecure attachment. Psychosom Med. 2006;68:449–53. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.psy.0000204923.09390.5b.
Pace U, Cacioppo M, Schimmenti A. The moderating role of father’s care on the onset of binge eating symptoms among female late adolescents with insecure attachment. Child Psychiatry Hum D. 2012;43:282–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-011-0269-7.
Candelori C, Ciocca A. Attachment and eating disorders. In: Bria P, Ciocca A, De Risio S, editors. Psychotherapeutic issues in eating disorders: models, methods and results. Rome: Universo; 1998. p. 139–53.
O’Shaughnessy R, Dallos R. Attachment research and eating disorders: a review of the literature. Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2009;14:559–74. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359104509339082.
Grenon R, Tasca GA, Maxwell H, Balfour L, Proulx G, Bissada H. Parental bonds and body dissatisfaction in a clinical sample: the mediating roles of attachment anxiety and media internalization. Body Image. 2016;19:49–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.08.005.
Abbate-Daga G, Gramaglia C, Amianto F, Marzola E, Fassino S. Attachment insecurity, personality and body dissatisfaction in eating disorders. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2010;198(7):520–4. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0b013e3181e4c6f7.
Eggert J, Levendosky A, Klump K. Relationships among attachment styles, personality characteristics and disordered eating. Int J Eat Disord. 2007;40:149–55. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.20351.
Presnell K, Bearman SK, Stice E. Risk factors for body dissatisfaction in adolescent boys and girls: a prospective study. Int J Eat Disord. 2004;36:389–401.
Holsen I, Jones DC, Birkeland MS. Body image satisfaction among Norwegian adolescents and young adults. A longitudinal study of the influence of interpersonal relationships and BMI. Body Image. 2012;9(2):201–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2012.01.006.
Boutelle K, Eisenberg ME, Gregory ML, Neumark-Sztainer D. The reciprocal relationship between parent–child connectedness and adolescent emotional functioning over 5 years. J Psychom Res. 2009;66:309–16.
Crespo C, Kielpikowski M, Jose PE, Pryor J. Relationships between family connectedness and body satisfaction: a longitudinal study of adolescent boys and girls. J Youth Adolesc. 2010;39:1392–401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-009-9433-9.
Yu JJ. Trajectories of body dissatisfaction among South Korean youth: findings from a nationally representative sample. Body Image. 2016;19:186–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.10.002.
Helfert S, Warschburger P. A prospective study on the impact of peer and parental pressure on body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls and boys. Body Image. 2011;8:101–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2011.01.004.
Barker ET, Galambos NL. Body dissatisfaction of adolescent girls and boys: risk and resource factors. J Early Adolesc. 2003;23:141–65. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431603023002002.
Jones DC. Body image among adolescent girls and boys: a longitudinal study. Dev Psychol. 2004;40:823–35. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.40.5.823.
Smolak L. Body image in children and adolescents: where do we go from here? Body Image. 2004;1:15–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1740-1445(03)00008-1.
Fulkerson JA, McGuire MT, Neumark-Sztainer D, Story M, French SA, Peery CL. Weight related attitudes and behaviors of adolescent girls and boys who are encouraged to diet by their mothers. Int J Obesity. 2002;26:1579–87. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802157.
Keery H, Eisenberg ME, Boutelle K, Neumark-Sztainer D, Story M. Relationships between maternal and adolescent weight-related behaviors and concerns: the role of perception. J Psychosom Res. 2006;61:105–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2006.01.011.
Davison KK, Markey CN, Birch LL. Etiology of body dissatisfaction and weight concerns among 5-year-old girls. Appetite. 2000;35:143–51. https://doi.org/10.1006/appe.2000.0349.
Lowes J, Tiggemann M. Body dissatisfaction, dieting awareness, and the impact of parental influence on young children. Br J Health Psych. 2003;8:135–47. https://doi.org/10.1348/135910703321649123.
Tatangelo G, McCabe M, Mellor D, Mealey A. A systematic review of body dissatisfaction and sociocultural messages related to the body among preschool children. Body Image. 2016;18:86–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.06.003.
Harriger JA, Calogero RM, Witherington DC, Smith JE. Body size stereotyping and internalisation of the thin ideal in preschool girls. Sex Roles. 2010;63:609–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-010-9868-1.
Musher-Eizenman DR, Holub SC, Edwards-Leeper L, Persson AV, Goldstein SE. The narrow range of acceptable body types of pre-schoolers and their mothers. App Dev Psychol. 2003;24:259–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0193-3973(03)00047-9.
Tremblay L, Lovsin T, Zecevic C, Larivière M. Perceptions of self in 3–5-year-old children: a preliminary investigation into the early emergence of body dissatisfaction. Body Image. 2011;8:287–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2011.04.004.
Wong Y, Chang YMS, Lin CMS. The influence of primary caregivers on body size and self-body image of preschool children in Taiwan. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2013;22:283. https://doi.org/10.6133/apjcn.2013.22.2.05.
Sinton MM, Birch LL. Individual and sociocultural influences on pre-adolescent girls’ appearance schemas and body dissatisfaction. J Youth Adolesc. 2006;35:157–67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-005-9007-4.
Avalos LC, Tylka TL. Exploring a model of intuitive eating with college women. J Couns Psychol. 2006;53:486–97. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.53.4.486.
Tereno S, Soares I, Martins C, Celani M, Sampaio D. Attachment styles, memories of parental rearing and therapeutic bond: a study with eating disordered patients, their parents and therapists. Eur Eat Disord Rev. 2008;16:49–58. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.801.
Amianto F, Bertorello A, Spalatro A, Milazzo M, Signa C, Cavarero S, Abbate Daga G, Fassino S. Adlerian parental counseling in eating disorders: preliminary data of a controlled clinical trial. Eat Weight Disord. 2013;19(3):303–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-013-0079-y.
Amianto F, Ercole R, Abbate Daga G, Fassino S. Exploring parental bonding in BED and non-BED obesity compared with healthy controls: clinical, personality and psychopathology correlates. Eur Eat Disord Rev. 2015;24:187–96. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2419.
McCabe MP, Mellor D, Mealey A. An educational programme for parents on the body image of preschool-aged boys. J Health Psychol. 2014;21(7):1241–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105314551078.
Acknowledgement
Dr. Matteo Martini contributed to this chapter.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Amianto, F., Fassino, S. (2018). Family Functioning and Body Image. In: Cuzzolaro, M., Fassino, S. (eds) Body Image, Eating, and Weight. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90817-5_22
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90817-5_22
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-90816-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-90817-5
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)