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Parental Bonding and Body Mass Index in a Female Community Sample: The Mediating Role of Eating Disorder Thoughts and Core Beliefs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 March 2015

Myra J. Cooper  and
Eliane Young
Myra J. Cooper*
Affiliation:
University of Oxford, UK
Eliane Young
Affiliation:
St Mary's Hospital, Kettering, UK
*
Reprint requests to Myra Cooper, Isis Education Centre, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Background: It is likely that disrupted early parent-child relationships, eating disorder related cognitions and negative self-beliefs are relevant to some women who are overweight/obese. Aims: This study tested the hypotheses that disrupted parent-child relationships would be linked to higher body mass index (BMI) and that this relationship would then be mediated by cognition. Method: A group of women were recruited from the community and completed measures of eating disorder (ED) thoughts, negative self-beliefs, and parental bonding. Individual body mass indices (BMIs) were calculated. Results: One hundred and eighteen women completed the study. There was a relationship between parental bonding and higher BMI. As hypothesized, the relationship between parental bonding (as measured by maternal care, and paternal overprotection) and BMI appeared to be mediated by a range of ED thoughts, and some negative self-beliefs. Conclusion: The cognitions measured here, both ED related cognitions and negative self-beliefs, may be a useful target when considering psychological treatment for women who are overweight or obese.

Keywords

Body Mass Indexcognitionschemaoverweight/obesityparental bonding
Type
Brief Clinical Reports
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 44 , Issue 1 , January 2016 , pp. 123 - 127
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2015 

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