Gender Differences in Peer and Parental Influences: Body Image Disturbance, Self-Worth, and Psychological Functioning in Preadolescent Children

• NCJ Number: 207097
• Journal: Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 33 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2004 Pages: 421-429
• Author(s): Vicky Phares; Ari R. Steinberg; J. Kevin Thompson
• Date Published: October 2004
• Length: 9 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Because the majority of previous related research was limited to maternal influences on the body images held by adolescent and young adult populations, the current study focused on paternal influences on the body images held by 141 preadolescent girls (n=77) and boys (n=64).

Abstract

Participants were recruited from two public elementary schools in a large urban area in the Southeast. In addition to measuring paternal influence on body image, peer influences were also measured. Height and weight were obtained through self-report, and the Eating Disorder Inventory for Children was used to measure self-perceptions of eating disturbances and body image. The Children's Depression Inventory and the Self-Perception Profile for Children were used to measure the children's psychological functioning. Children completed the Weight Teasing Scale to determine teasing about weight by both mother and father. The Inventory of Peer Influence on Eating Concerns was used to measure peer influence on children's eating and body shape concerns. As expected girls were more concerned about dieting and were more preoccupied with their weight than were the boys. The girls also reported a greater pursuit of thinness and a higher level of family history of eating concerns than did the boys. The correlations between girls' body-image concerns -- i.e., body dissatisfaction, bulimia, and drive for thinness -- were related to a number of factors, including family history of eating concerns, peer influences, teasing, depression, and global self-worth. Boys' experiences of body-image concerns, on the other hand, were related to fewer factors. These findings suggest that the treatment of psychological maladjustment in preadolescent children should include the assessment and treatment of body-image concerns, particularly among girls. Implications of these findings for intervention and prevention programs are discussed. 2 tables and 53 references