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Childhood obesity and parental reflective functioning: Is there a relation?

Chiara Pazzagli1, Alessandro Germani1, Livia Buratta1

  • 1Department of Philosophy, Social Sciences and Education, University of Perugia, Italy.

International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology : IJCHP
|September 14, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Parental reflective functioning (PRF) impacts childhood obesity. Lower maternal PRF predicts higher child BMI, independent of parental weight and socioeconomic status, suggesting PRF as a therapeutic target.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Public Health
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
  • Factors contributing to childhood obesity remain incompletely understood.
  • Parental Reflective Functioning (PRF) is a potential, yet understudied, factor.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between parental reflective functioning (PRF) and childhood obesity.
  • To determine if PRF predicts children's weight status.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of 120 parent-child sets (30 children with obesity).
  • Assessed children's and parents' BMI, socioeconomic status (SES), and maternal PRF using the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire.
  • Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were employed.

Main Results:

  • Significant differences in BMI, SES, and PRF were found between parents of children with and without obesity.
  • Maternal PRF was a significant predictor of children's BMI.
  • PRF predicted children's BMI beyond parental BMI and SES.

Conclusions:

  • Low maternal PRF may be a significant factor in childhood obesity.
  • Interventions targeting maternal PRF could help manage childhood obesity.
  • Consideration of parental responses to child emotions is crucial, especially for parents with low SES and high BMI.
Abstract

Keywords:
Childhood obesityDescriptive survey studyParental reflective functioningParental weightSocio-economic status

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