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The Association of Low Parent-Adolescent Reciprocity, a Sense of Incompetence, and Identity Confusion with Disordered Eating

University of Toronto

Maxine Gallander Wintre

Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; mwintre{at}yorku.ca

Janet Polivy

University of Toronto

This study examined the role of late adolescent females' ongoing perceived reciprocity in their relationships with parents, their sense of incompetence (in terms of an impersonal-causality orientation), and their identity style and commitment in predicting disordered eating symptoms. Some variables were also examined from the mothers' perspectives to consider the potential impact of mother-daughter discrepancies on symptomatology. This questionnaire-based study used a multicultural sample of 256 female university students. Disordered eating was inversely related to the perception of reciprocity with parents and positively related to a sense of incompetence, an avoidant identity style, and a lack of identity commitments. Further analyses revealed that both perceived parental reciprocity and an avoidant identity style are related to disordered eating indirectly through their relation to personality variables linked to eating disorder psychopathology. Mother-daughter discrepancies were not significant predictors of symptoms. Implications for identifying females at risk for disordered eating are discussed.

Key Words: eating disorders • identity • autonomy • parent-adolescent relationships • locus of causality

Journal of Adolescent Research, Vol. 18, No. 4, 405-429 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/0743558403018004005


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