Parents’ Influence on the Development of Eating Disorders

Our children are bombarded with computer enhanced, air-brushed images of super-thin women. The quest for being thin starts at a young age and can sometimes result in eating disorders. But in addition to the mass media, parental influence can also have a direct effect on a child’s body image.
Dr. Laura Roberts, PhD is a clinical psychologist who has a private practice that specializes in eating disorders. She emphasized that there are many factors that contribute to an eating disorder including genetic influence, personality traits, media and culture. However, parents do play a role in shaping a child’s perception of her body image and her relationship with food. Dr. Ursela Kelley, medical director of Presbyterian Hospital’s Eating Disorders clinic, also agrees stating that the child’s environment combined with genetic factors can easily lead to an eating disorder. She states “eating disorders are much like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease in that environmental factors trigger the disorder that sets in motion the genetic predisposition for the disease.” Parents can take measures to help insure a child’s environment is conducive for healthy eating habits and a healthy body image.

Avoid Emphasizing Dieting

“Parents’ emphasis on dieting and loosing weight certainly has a big influence”, says, Dr. Roberts. If you’re counting calories and getting on crazy diets eating only grapefruit and jelly beans, you’re child will pay attention to these habits and your quest to be thin. Your desire to fit in a size two will be communicated and the emphasis on being thin becomes overvalued.

Don’t Make Disparaging Remarks about Your Body

It’s hard not to whine when your “fat jeans” are snug. Still, making disparaging comments about your body in front of your children can send a negative message. A child may look at their own bodies with a critical eye. Dr. Kelley says, “parents who are very obsessed with their body and body image will model that way of coping for their children. They send a message that being thin is what is important.” It is also imperative that parents not guilt or shame their children especially when it comes to body shape and size. This can lead to low self-esteem and a distorted body image.

Talk About Images in the Media

Dr. Kelley says, “When young children see women who are super thin projecting an image of happiness, confidence, wealth and success, it is not difficult for children to believe that being thin is the way to happiness.” Dr. Roberts suggests that mothers and daughters discuss the distorted images in the media. “Let your kids know that REAL people don’t look like people in the magazines or on TV. ” Parents should explain how pictures are retouched and airbrushed to produce what society perceives as beauty. “Parents can minimize the impact of the culture’s influence by questioning it all the time,” says Dr. Roberts. A wonderful tool to assist in this effort is on a website sponsored by Dove. www.campaignforrealbeauty.com offers the “Evolution Film” that shows, through the magic of make-up, lighting and retouching, how a rather normal looking woman is transformed into a high-fashion model. It is pretty powerful.

Model a Healthy Life Style

The best thing parents can do is to model a healthy life style. According to Dr. Kelley, “parents should model good eating habits with a balanced exercise regime.” Eat reasonably, exercise reasonably, and don’t have magazines with skinny-minny models lying around. Although parents cannot completely prevent an eating disorder from manifesting, they can minimize its effects by demonstrating a healthy relationship with food and an acceptance of their own body image.