Interactive influence of familial appearance-related messages and family health climate on body satisfaction

Abstract

This study was designed to explore the ways in which family contributes to body image development through both familial appearance-related messages (both direct influence and modeling) and family health climate (both nutrition and physical activity) in childhood/adolescence, as well as any interactive associations between the two. A total of 292 adults in the US were recruited to complete an online questionnaire, which included demographic items, the Parental Influence Questionnaire (PIQ) (to measure familial appearance-related messages), the Family Health Climate Scale (FHC-Scale), and the Appearance Evaluation (AE) and Body Areas Satisfaction (BASS) subscales of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ) (to measure body satisfaction). The data were analyzed using multiple regression models. Both measures of familial appearance-related messages (direct influence (t(1) = -2.64, p-value = 0.01) and modeling (t(1) = -2.03, p = 0.04)) significantly predicted body satisfaction. Neither measure of family health climate (physical activity and nutrition) significantly predicted body satisfaction in the final model. No significant interactions were found between measures of familial appearance-related messages and family health climate. Self-classified weight status was a consistent and strong predictor of body satisfaction (t(1) = -6.66, p-value < 0.0001). Post-hoc analyses were conducted to provide directions for future research regarding the role that family health climate may play in body image development. Findings from this study reinforce past findings of the influence that familial appearance-related messages have on body image development and provide novel evidence of a potential connection between family health climate and body image. Implications and limitations are discussed, as well as clinical applications for prevention and intervention methods.