Parenting styles, parental response to child emotion, and family emotional responsiveness are related to child emotional eating

All in the Family? Parental Roles in the Epidemic of Childhood Obesity

“…As indicated in figure 5, additional study of how parents can support a child's positive self-image through diet and physical activity is needed, as is research on family relationships and emotional dimensions related to child weight (e.g., Frankel et al 2012 Authoritativeness (emotional support, expectations for self-control, and appropriate granting of autonomy) helps to build competent self-regulation, and children of authoritative mothers are indeed at lower risk for overweight (Darling and Steinberg 1993). Conversely, children of authoritarian mothers (who are not as sensitive to emotional needs) are at greater risk for overweight, as are children of indulgent and neglectful mothers, who provide little direction (Rhee et al 2006;Topham et al 2011). In these cases, children may lack a sense of emotional security, either because the consequences for not meeting parents' standards are too harsh, or because parents haven't set needed limits.…”

Self-control and parental control mediate the relationship between negative emotions and emotional eating among adolescents

“…Although several researchers have suggested that a certain level of control is beneficial for learning and maintaining appropriate behavior, some studies have indicated that parental high control was also significantly related to unhealthy behaviors in children (e.g., Barber, 1996;Maccoby & Martin, 1983). Topham et al (2011) suggested that it was important to study the relationship between family factors (e.g., parenting styles) and children's emotional eating to help us better understand the development of emotional awareness, impulse regulation, and responses to negative emotions in children. However, few studies have examined the role of parenting in children's emotional eating.…”

“…Previous studies have found that emotional eating in adolescents is affected by family environment, including parental eating habits as well as parenting and feeding practices (de Lauzon-Guillain, Musher-Eizenman, Leporc, Holub, & Charles, 2009;Faith, Scanlon, Birch, Francis, & Sherry, 2004;Topham et al, 2011) and personal factors, including stress level, stress coping styles, and personality (Elfhag & Morey, 2008;Larsen, van Strien, Eisenga, & Engels, 2006;Wallis & Hetherington, 2004). Few studies have examined possible mediators of the relationship between negative emotions and emotional eating.…”

Implementation of parental feeding practices: does parenting style matter?

“…Although parenting style is not specific to the domain of feeding, it relates to children's eating and weight. For example, children with authoritative parents have healthier eating behaviours and attitudes (8,(18)(19)(20)(21) , are more physically active (22) and have lower BMI (21,23,24) , whereas children with authoritarian parents have unhealthier eating behaviours (25) and higher BMI (10,23) . Parents also influence children's eating behaviours and weight outcomes through specific feeding practices.…”