The Association Between Maternal Criticism and Body Dissatisfaction on Disordered Eating Pathology Across Racial and Ethnic Groups

Objectives: Limited research exists examining the association of maternal weight-, shape-, and size-related criticism with disordered eating pathology across racial and ethnic groups. Method: The sample consisted of 392 undergraduate females and 368 undergraduate males for a total of 760 individuals. Disordered eating pathology, body dissatisfaction, and maternal criticism were assessed in 484 White, 134 Latinx, and 142 Asian American undergraduates. Hierarchical regression, correlation, and t-test analyses were conducted for each ethnic group. Results: Among all three groups, body dissatisfaction, maternal criticism, and gender were significantly associated with disordered eating pathology. In addition, disordered eating and maternal criticism were greater among female undergraduates than among male undergraduates across all groups. However, body dissatisfaction did not differ significantly between female and male undergraduates in any of the three racial and ethnic groups. Findings from this study suggest that individual body dissatisfaction and maternal criticism may be differentially linked with disordered eating pathology across racial and ethnic groups. Among Whites and Latinx, body dissatisfaction was more strongly associated with disordered eating pathology than was perceived maternal criticism. However, among Asian Americans, perceived maternal criticism was more strongly associated with disordered eating pathology than was body dissatisfaction. Conclusions: Maternal criticism was the most saliently linked with disordered eating pathology among Asian Americans. Findings from this study speak to individual and familial factors impacting disordered eating across racial and ethnic groups. Additionally, this study highlights the potential role of culture on disordered eating, particularly self-construal and collectivistic and individualistic orientations.