Body dissatisfaction and disordered eating within the mother-daughter dyad: An actor-partner interdependence approach

Research on body image and eating within the mother-daughter dyad tends to emphasize the influence that mothers may have on daughters, with little focus on the concomitant influence that daughters may have on mothers. Utilizing the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) within a sample of mothers and their daughters within three age ranges (middle school, high school, and college, N = 356 dyads), we examined relations between mother and daughter body dissatisfaction and restrictive eating and bulimic symptoms. Results indicated that mother and daughter body dissatisfaction significantly predicted their own eating pathology (actor effects). Although no significant partner main effects occurred, a notable actor-partner interaction was obtained; mothers' body dissatisfaction significantly predicted higher levels of their own restrained eating only when their daughters were ages 16 and older. In addition, a moderated actor effect was found for bulimic symptoms, such that the relation between a daughter's body dissatisfaction and her own bulimic symptoms became progressively stronger as her age increased. Overall, the findings provide replication of actor effects, with partial support for mutuality of mother and daughter influence.