Eating attitudes among Asian schoolgirls: the role of perceived parental control

Asian girls living in the United Kingdom have more unhealthy eating attitudes than Caucasian girls. It has been suggested that this difference may be due to "cultural conflicts," but that term needs to be operationalized by determining the underlying practical and psychological mechanisms. This study examines the role of perceived parental control as a potential mediating factor between cultural issues and eating psychopathology among schoolgirls. Asian girls had a greater level of bulimic attitudes than Caucasian girls, but a significant part of this difference was due to the Asian girls' greater levels of perceived maternal control. Perceived paternal control also masked an underlying tendency for the Caucasian girls to be more dissatisfied with their bodies than the Asian girls. Further research on ethnic issues and their relationship to clinical interventions is discussed.