Perpetuation of a parent’s internal insecurities proves to be a concerning risk factor for developing eating disorders in children. Exposing children to fad diets, such as “Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, slim-fast, keto, etc.” can be detrimental to the child’s perception of healthy eating behaviors. Children will only be led to think the same way about themselves. An example might be if a parent consistently models self-depreciation based on weight or body image. When parents perpetuate their insecurities and fixations on food, body image, and weight-related issues, they teach their children to behave that same way. Parental behavior also majorly impacts child behavioral development. Parents can use proper feeding techniques to maintain a healthy relationship with food. The capability to recognize satiety, hunger, and fullness is crucial to maintaining a healthy relationship with food. This approach causes the child to feel as if food needs to be earned when in reality, food is never earned.
Restricting a child’s food intake is rarely beneficial when preserving a healthy relationship with food. Parents may tell children when they have “had enough to eat. The same is true when parents promote food as anything other than a nutrition source.Īn example of this might be a parent telling their child, “If you behave, we can get McDonald’s afterward.” If parents choose to use the concept of food as a reward or punishment, this can disrupt this innate ability in children to recognize true hunger signals. If parents encourage a “zero-waste” approach to food consumption, they disrupt the child’s innate ability to determine fullness. This means that children eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. According to satiety, children are born with the innate ability to sense satiety and control food consumption. Parental techniques are essential in proper child development, as they are the most important influence a child will have during their most vulnerable points of life. Stress-inducing traumatic events or unique life experiences in the homeĮach of these behaviors can be broken down and evaluated to determine ways we can stop the perpetuation of disordered eating among generations. Parental perception of their own children’s disordered eating Parental feeding techniques centered around a “zero-waste” mindset Using food for nonnutritive purposes, such as rewarding, punishing, or comforting children -parental restriction of children’s food intake Parents with a vocal fixation on weight-related issues Parental role modeling of unhealthy eating behaviors The list below provides a summary of familial behaviors associated with negative body image, altered perception of food, and eating disorder development²: Studies have demonstrated that children of parents suffering from eating disorders are more likely to develop eating disorders, but it is helpful to examine how this happens. This is especially important when considering generational eating disorders or the “passing-on” of eating disorders.
While genetic research is more difficult for scientists to examine and interpret, the impact of socio-cultural, environmental, and interpersonal influence correlates with the development of disordered eating patterns. Each showed significant genetic influence on the development of various eating disorders, with the familial study showing a 10-fold increase in the risk of developing an eating disorder if a relative has been diagnosed.¹ Scientists expect that as genomic research methods improve and more knowledge is attained, gene interactions and modification will significantly affect eating disorder development. A research article published in 2019 found strong genetic associations in family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies. Examining trends in generational eating disorders, genetics, and interpersonal impacts can potentially prevent the development of eating disorders in family members living with someone who has been previously diagnosed.Īs scientists perform more research to investigate the role of genetics in eating disorder development, they are finding hereditary inheritance to be an increasingly important risk factor. This influence can include anything from a group of people at school, your teammates in the sports you chose to play, to the people who live with you in your home.