Dieting, compulsive eating, and feelings of failure among adolescents

Abstract

How are teenagers' feelings of failure related to (1) dieting and concern about weight and (2) compulsive eating? Subjects were 405 high school students, who completed a 59-item, multiple-choice questionnaire. For 19 areas of achievement, subjects indicated how successful they felt they were in living up to their own expectations and to the perceived expectations of their parents. Compulsive eating and dieting behaviors were assessed with self-report scales developed and tested by the researchers in prior studies. Among boys, dieting and compulsive eating both were directly related to feelings that they had failed to meet the perceived expectations of their parents. In contrast, the amount of compulsive eating reported by girls depended upon the perceived power structure of the family. Girls from families perceived to be mother-dominated reported more compulsive eating, a feeling of failure to meet mother's standards, and a higher need for social approval than did girls from families in which mother and father were perceived to rule equally, or families in which the children were perceived to share equally with parents in making major decisions.