A prospective study of familial and social influences on girls' body image and dieting

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Objective This study examines the emergence of body image concerns and dieting behaviors in early adolescence as a function of girls' perceptions of family relationships, maternal modeling of dieting behaviors and body image concerns, and familial and peer pressures to diet. Method Self-report measures were obtained from 77 White girls and their mothers in early adolescence (mean age = 12.3 years) and 1 year later. Results Girls' perceptions of family relations and mothers' perceptions of daughters' weight at Time 1 significantly predicted girls' dieting behavior 1 year later over and above Time 1 dieting and body image. Only girls' previous body image and dieting behaviors significantly predicted more body dissatisfaction 1 year later. Girls' body image was found to mediate the relationship between family relations and dieting at Time 1 assessment, but not over time. Discussion The importance of implementing early prevention and interventions programs is discussed.