Mothers and Daughters and Eating Disorders

Contributor: Staff at Carolina House

Mothers clearly have an impact on their daughters’ eating habits. They model eating behaviors and thoughts about health and dieting, establish relationship boundaries, and even have a genetic influence, as a mother’s genes can contribute to the possibility of their daughter being genetically predisposed to developing an eating disorder.

This mother-daughter relationship is explored in many research and treatment studies to fully understand the influence it has on the biological, psychological, and social risk factors of developing an eating disorder. Research supports the hypothesis that maternal criticism and female identity are associated with eating disorders [1].

While it is believed that 50-80% of eating disorders are due to the effects of genes [2], it was discovered that the daughter of an anorexic mom is 11 times more likely to have anorexia themselves, and eating restraint, weight, and shape concerns are seen in children as young as 10 [3, 4]. This is believed to be the result not only of genetic factors, but also the modeling of eating disorders.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

To be clear, it would be incorrect to say that the relationship between a mother and a daughter can directly cause an eating disorder because really, there is no single cause of an eating disorder. We know that eating disorders result from a combination of multiple biological, psychological, and social factors. Nevertheless, there is a correlation between the quality of the mother-daughter relationship and the presence of eating disorders in their female children.

Some contributing factors that may increase the likelihood of developing disordered eating behaviors include a mother’s criticism when suggesting that the daughter change her body weight and shape, as this tends to elicit body dissatisfaction in the daughter. Mothers may consciously or unconsciously make body-related comments related to their specific ideas of appearance and comparisons to others, which daughters will often internalize.

While sons are not immune to the body-related criticisms of their mothers, girls tend to be more often on the receiving end of maternal comments regarding body weight and shape and weight loss. In addition, while maternal criticism is also shown to have effects across racial and ethnic groups, it was most saliently linked to eating disorder pathology among individuals from Asian American cultures.

Mothers as Role Models

Familial pressure and messages around eating, body shape, and body size are powerful influencers on the development of eating disorder pathology. Also, adolescent girls who are teased by their moms about their weight may be advised by the same parent to diet at increasingly younger ages.

A relationship exists between the attitudes about the weight that girls develop and how much their mothers talk about their own weight, shape, or size. If a mother is constantly talking about her own weight and body shape, it is more likely that her daughter will struggle with low self-esteem and depression.

For this reason, the mental and physical health of mothers largely shapes their influence on their children. Maternal figures can model body dissatisfaction, over-evaluation, and disordered eating behaviors for their daughters.

Their attitudes about body weight, shape, and size are often conveyed through teasing, criticism, shaming, and encouragement to diet, lose weight or adjust their body shape. Sometimes, the advice may come from a good place, but often it only serves to put pressure on the girl to aspire to unhealthy standards of beauty, using whatever means necessary.

What Could Be Different?

• Give Up Some Control. Mothers who tend to be controlling are often found to stifle the individual activities and expressions of their children. It is well-known that children who feel as though they have little control over their life will seek areas where they can exercise control (e.g., disordered eating behavior).
• Create Positive Boundaries. When there are no boundaries between mother-daughter relationships, daughters are more likely to engage in restrictive eating behaviors. Be present and consistent with your attention when your daughter seeks your advice, but allow her the freedom to figure things out on her own and to create an identity that is not centered around your happiness.
• Refrain from Criticism, and instead teach body-positive messages. Whether you believe that your daughter is “too skinny” or “too full-figured,” your child is likely already very aware of their body shape and does not need the added shame messaging from another important person in their life. Teaching body-positive messaging does not mean accepting unhealthy practices, but it does mean coming from a place of empathy and understanding and empowering your daughter, not forcing or guilting her, to make changes.
• Take Care of Yourself. Your child’s transition from childhood to teenage years can be difficult on you as a parent, as they no longer need you in the same way. Reinvest some of that energy into yourself, and consider whether you need to address your own relationship with eating and body image.

The relationship between a mother and daughter is without a doubt influential when it comes to the development of eating disorders.

For this reason, many treatment programs focus on family involvement in order to heal some of the hurts that stem from these important relationships.

Establishing guidelines and boundaries is necessary. It may also be time to check in with yourself to see how the messages you are sending to your daughter are impacting her and to determine if there are areas for improvement within yourself.

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Sources:
[1] Yu, K., & Perez, M. (2019, February 25). The Association Between Maternal Criticism and Body Dissatisfaction on Disordered Eating Pathology Across Racial and Ethnic Groups. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000277
[2] Trace, S. E., Baker, J. H., Peñas-Lledó, E., & Bulik, C. M. (2013). The genetics of eating disorders. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9, 589-620.
[3] Strober, M., et al., Controlled family study of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: evidence of shared liability and transmission of partial syndromes. Am J Psychiatry, 2000. 157(3): p. 393-401.
[4] Stein A, Woolley H, Cooper S, Winterbottom J, Fairburn CG, Cortina-Borja M. Eating habits and attitudes among 10-year-old children of mothers with eating disorders: longitudinal study. Br J Psychiatry. 2006;189:324–329.

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About the Sponsor:

Carolina House is an eating disorder treatment center that serves people of all genders, ages 17 and older, to help individuals who are struggling with eating disorders.

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The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope but an effort to offer a discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Published on April 22, 2019.
Reviewed & Approved on April 12, 2024, by Baxter Ekern, MBA

Published on EatingDisorderHope.com