Parental use of psychological and behavioural control and the relationship to children's eating habits

Abstract

This correlational study examined parent-feeding practices, children’s negative affect towards food, and parental psychological and behavioural control, and parenting styles relating to parental behavioural and psychological control. Parents and their children aged 9-13 years completed self-report questionnaires measuring parental behavioural and psychological control, feeding practices, parenting styles and dimensions, and family eating and activity habits. Behavioural control was negatively related to monitoring, but positively correlated to parents using both pressure and rewards to encourage children to eat. Psychological control was negatively correlated to monitoring, but positively correlated to parents’ perceptions of their own weight and concerns’ about their children being overweight. No correlations were found between parents’ perceived use of psychological or behavioural control and children’s perceptions of parental control. Parental psychological control was positively correlated to children and parents eating in problematic situations. The three main parenting styles were investigated and behavioural and psychological control were positively related to authoritarian and permissive parenting styles.