Parent-Adolescent Relationships and Disordered Eating Behavior: Evidence From a Cross-Sectional Nationwide Study in...

Area of Science:

• Adolescent health
• Psychiatry
• Family studies

Background:

• Disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) in adolescents are influenced by family dynamics, including parental supervision, emotional support, and exposure to neglect or abuse.
• Understanding the link between parent-child relationships and DEBs is crucial for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the associations between adolescents' relationships with parents or guardians and the prevalence of DEBs.
• To investigate the role of parental neglect, abuse, and family dynamics in adolescent disordered eating.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study using data from the 2019 National School-Based Health Survey of 95,367 Brazilian students (aged 13-17).
• Assessed DEBs and family relationship indicators including shared meals, parental supervision, emotional support, and experiences of abuse.
• Poisson regression models were used to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and confidence intervals (CIs), stratified by sex.

Main Results:

• Girls living with neither parent or never having family meals showed significantly higher DEBs.
• DEBs were more prevalent in both sexes when parents lacked supervision or emotional support.
• Experiencing parental physical aggression or sexual abuse was associated with a higher prevalence of DEBs.

Conclusions:

• Parental neglect is associated with an increased likelihood of DEBs in adolescents.
• Parental aggression and sexual abuse may further compound the risk of DEBs.
• Family-based prevention strategies are essential for addressing adolescent eating disorders.