The family serves as the foundation for the development of a child’s mental well-being. Problems
within the home environment may manifest through eating disorders and excessive weight gain.
In a study by Epstein et al. [14], the mental health of the parent and stability of family relationships
were some of the strongest predictors of the child‘s mental health. Myers et al. [3] supported this
view in a study that particularly focused on the mother–child relationship. This study found a
reciprocal relationship between the psychological health of the mother and that of the child, with
psychological improvement in either case resulting in benefits to the other.
Stradmeijer and colleagues [15] evaluated 143 children and their parents — 73 overweight and
70 normal weight — to examine the relationship between family functioning and psychosocial
adjustment. Results indicated that the older overweight girls displayed a lower self-esteem than the
younger girls. In contrast, the boys’ self-esteem improved with age. In addition, the parents of
overweight children reported more negative behavior issues than those of normal weight children.
Excessive parental attention was cited as a potential reason for children to develop this negative
behavior. More research is needed to determine the relationship between “parental over-concern”
and the social and emotional issues of overweight children [15].
FAMILY STRUCTURE
It was previously mentioned in the chapter that environmental factors have a large effect on
unhealthy weight behavior. One such important factor is family structure, as it relates to eating
behavior. In a recent study [16], the relationship of family structure and frequency of fast food
restaurant use was examined. The results indicated that family structure affects young women more
than young men. Specifically, females of single-parent families more often indulged in fast food
restaurant dining [16]. By the year 1998, 27% of all households with children were single-parent
homes. This higher frequency of fast food visits by females may be attributed to the fact that more
women are working, and therefore, less time is available to them for food preparation. As a
consequence, because of this larger number of working, single-family households with children,
an increasingly larger portion of children are consuming fast food on a regular basis [16], which
may indirectly contribute to pediatric obesity.
CHILD–PARENT CONFLICTS
The relationship between a parent and child can have a significant effect on the behaviors of that
child. Mellin et al. [7] compared overweight and nonoverweight adolescents on selected physical
activity and dietary behaviors. They also compared the adolescents’ behaviors with their family
relationships. The overweight girls and boys both engaged in significantly higher levels of unhealthy
behaviors compared with the normal-weight children. In addition, an inverse relationship was
observed between family connectedness and unhealthy behaviors.
Fonseca et al. [8] examined the association between familial factors and extreme weight control
in adolescents. It was observed that family connectedness served as a protective factor for girls
displaying extreme weight behaviors. In addition, connectedness to not only parents but also other
adults and friends served as a protective factor for boys. In girls, high levels of parental guidance
and supervision accounted for protection against extreme weight behaviors; in boys, the opposite
was observed [8].
Parental conflicts, including a lack of parental-expressed empathy/affection, were found to be
a factor in binge eating relapse [17]. In addition, adolescents exhibiting hostile attitudes toward
their family also were found to experience relapses in binge eating [17]. To reduce behavioral and
psychological risk factors that lead to pediatric obesity, a healthy parent–child relationship is
essential during childhood.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar