Girls whose families criticize their weight or
eating habits may develop lasting problems with
body image and self-esteem, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that of 455 college women with
poor body image, more than 80 percent said their
parents or siblings had made negative comments
about their bodies during childhood.
Many believed the comments reflected a general
lack of love and support or were even part of
a pattern of emotional abuse -- with some saying
family members also called them "ugly," "stupid"
or "lazy."
But in more cases than not, the women said their
parents or siblings had only occasionally made
comments about their weight and body shape.
"The data suggest that even a few comments may
have a negative impact," the study authors report
in the journal Pediatrics.
"In fact, in otherwise or generally supportive
families, a few negative comments may have a particularly
detrimental impact, because they stand out against
patterns of little or no criticism," write the
researchers, led by Dr. C. Barr Taylor of Stanford
Medical Center in California.
Parents, they say, need to be aware that their
words can have lasting effects on how their daughters
feel about themselves.
All of the women in the study were part of a
larger project looking at eating disorder prevention;
they were considered to be at high risk based
on their excessive worries about their weight,
shape and eating habits. At the start of the study,
they all completed a battery of surveys, including
ones that asked about hurtful comments during
childhood and current levels of self-esteem.
Most of the women said that family members had
made some negative remarks about their bodies.
Based on their reports, more than half of mothers
had made such comments, as had roughly 40 percent
of fathers and 40 percent of brothers and sisters.
Women whose parents had said these things showed
relatively lower self-esteem and felt a lack of
support from their families.
According to Taylor and colleagues, parents who
are worried about their daughter's weight and
health need to find ways to give "constructive
advice" about healthy eating and exercise without
being critical.
It's also important for parents to lead by example,
following a balanced diet, getting regular exercise
and refraining from criticizing their own bodies,
according to the researchers. Stanford University
has a pamphlet with advice for parents that can
be downloaded from http://bml.stanford.edu/mcknight.
SOURCE: Pediatrics, August 2006.
