An investigation into the influence of gender and parenting styles on excessive exercise and disordered eating

Previous research has shown a gender difference in the incidence of eating disorders, with a far higher number of female sufferers. This study aimed to re‐examine this gender difference, and also any difference in primary excessive exercise, based on Lerner et al.'s ( 1976 ) theoretical distinction between ‘body effectiveness’ and ‘body attractiveness’. It also considered the significance of parental styles to abnormal eating and exercising behaviour. As predicted, young adult females demonstrated significantly higher levels of disordered eating than young adult males while the reverse was the case for excessive exercise. The degree of these behavioural abnormalities was related to low body satisfaction and subjects' weight perceptions. For both sexes, mother and father overprotection was associated with low body satisfaction, and, for female subjects, disordered eating patterns. These results are discussed in relation to Lerner et al. 's ( 1976 ) theory and the models proposed by Eisler and Le Grange ( 1990 ).