Testing Parental and Peer Communication Influence on Young Adults’ Body Satisfaction

Few research studies have explored how parental communication influences children's body image. Some studies have looked at parental communication orientation and the development of eating problems without distinguishing between the mother's and the father's communication style and between the daughter's and the son's body dissatisfaction. In addition, no study has compared the influence of family communication versus peer pressure on young adults’ body-image perceptions. The current investigation attempted to fill that void. Results of a survey conducted among 283 college students show the support for developmental and social comparison theories that argue that peers’ influence in adolescence is more significant than parents’ influence. Peer pressure is unavoidable and most often negative, especially for girls. Too much parental control can also negatively influence how college-aged women and men feel about their bodies. This is especially true for an opposite-sex parent.