Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Childhood Obesity: The Relationship Between Negative Emotionality, Emotion Regulation, and Parenting Styles

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Child and Family Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

We aimed to compare obese children and their non-obese counterpart on children’s negative emotionality, emotion regulation and maternal parenting styles and to examine the joint contribution of children’s temperament and maternal styles to children’s obesity.

Methods

A total of 200 mothers were involved in this study, 100 with children diagnosed with obesity (49 boys, 51 girls; the age ranged from 6 to 12 years), and 100 with children with a normal weight (49 boys, 51 girls; the age ranged from 6 to 12 years). Mothers completed self-report measures on children’s emotionality, emotion regulation, and parenting styles.

Results

The comparison between the two groups showed that obese children, compared with their non-obese counterpart, had higher levels of negative emotionality and emotional lability and a lower level of emotion regulation; they also had more authoritarian and permissive mothers than non-obese counterpart. Logistic regressions showed a joint contribution of the authoritarian parenting style and emotional lability to obesity, so that both at lower and higher levels of emotion lability, children’s obesity tended to be lower when authoritarian style was low and to be higher when authoritarian style was high.

Conclusions

Understanding the mechanisms through which parenting styles and characteristics of children are associated to obesity risk may lead to the development of more-comprehensive and better-targeted interventions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Altman, M., & Wilfley, D. E. (2015). Evidence update on the treatment of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 44, 521–537.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anzman-Frasca, S., Stifter, C. A., & Birch, L. L. (2012). Temperament and childhood obesity risk: a review of the literature. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 33, 732–745.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anzman-Frasca, S., Stifter, C. A., Paul, I. M., & Birch, L. L. (2013). Infant temperament and maternal parenting self-efficacy predict child weight outcomes. Infant Behavior Development, 36, 494–497.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baughcum, A. E., Powers, S. W., Johnson, S. B., Chamberlin, L. A., Deeks, C. M., Jain, A., & Whitaker, R. C. (2001). Maternal feeding practices and beliefs and their relationships to overweight in early childhood. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 22, 391–408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (1971). Current patterns of parental authority. Developmental Psychology Monograph, 4(1, Pt.2), 1–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergmeier, H., Skouteris, H., Horwood, S., Hooley, M., & Richardson, B. (2014). Child temperament and maternal predictors of preschool children’s eating and body mass index. A prospective study. Appetite, 74, 125–132.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bloom, T., Sharpe, L., Mullan, B., & Zucker, N. (2013). A pilot evaluation of appetite-awareness training in the treatment of childhood overweight and obesity: a preliminary investigation. International Journal of Eating Disorder, 46, 47–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boots, S.B., Tiggemann, M., Corsini, N., & Mattiske, J. (2015). Managing young children’s snack food intake. The role of parenting style and feeding strategies. Appetite, 92, 94–101.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buss, A. H., & Plomin, R. (1984). Temperament: early developing personality traits. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crouter, A., & Booth, A. (2003). Children’s influence on family dynamics: the neglected side of family relationships. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham, P. B., Ellis, D. A., & Naar-King, S. (2009). Treating pediatric obesity using an empirically supported treatment: a case report. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 39, 141–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davison, K. K., & Birch, L. L. (2001). Childhood overweight: a contextual model and recommendations for future research. Obesity Reviews, 2, 159–171.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Di Maggio, R., & Zappulla, C. (2014). Mothering, fathering, and Italian adolescents’ problem behaviors and life satisfaction: dimensional and typological approach. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 23, 567–580.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Di Maggio, R., Zappulla, C., & Pace, U. (2016). The relationship between emotion regulation, emotion knowledge and adjustment in preschoolers: a mediation model. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25, 2626–2635.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberg, N., Fabes, R. A., Murphy, B., Maszk, P., Smith, M., & Karbon, M. (1995). The role of emotionality and regulation in children’s social functioning: a longitudinal study. Child Development, 66, 1360–1384.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Evers, C., Stok, F. M., & de Ridder, D. T. D. (2010). Feeding your feelings: emotion regulation strategies and emotional eating. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36, 792–804.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Faith, M. S., & Hittner, J. B. (2010). Infant temperament and eating style predict change in standardized weight status and obesity risk at 6 years of age. International Journal of Obesity, 34, 1515–1523.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fuemmeler, B., Yang, C., Costanzo, P., Hoyle, R., Siegler, I., & Williams, R. (2012). Parenting styles and body mass index trajectories from adolescence to adulthood. Health Psychology, 31, 441–449.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gatti, E., Ionio, C., Traficante, D., & Confalonieri, E. (2014). “I like my body; Therefore, I like myself”: how body image influences self-esteem. A cross-sectional study on Italian adolescents. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 10, 301–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guzzo, G., Lo Cascio, V., & Pace, U. (2013). The role of individual and relational characteristics on alcohol consumption among Italian adolescents: a discriminant function analysis. Child Indicators Research, 6, 605–618.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haycraft, E., & Blissett, J. (2010). Eating disorder symptoms and parenting styles. Appetite, 54, 221–224.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holmbeck, G. N. (2002). Post-hoc probing of significant moderational and mediational effects in studies of pediatric populations. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 27, 87–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, S. O., Patrick, H., Power, T. G., Fisher, J. O., Anderson, C. B., & Nicklas, T. A. (2007). The impact of child care providers’ feeding on children’s food consumption. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 28, 100–107.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, S. O., Power, T. G., Orlet Fisher, J., Mueller, S., & Nicklas, T. A. (2005). Revisiting a neglected construct: parenting styles in a child-feeding context. Appetite, 44, 83–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, S. O., Shewchuk, R. M., Baskin, M. L., Nicklas, T. A., & Qu, H. (2008). Indulgent feeding style and children’s weight status in preschool. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatric, 29, 403–410.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joyce, J. L., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2009). Parent feeding restriction and child weight. The mediating role of child disinhibited eating and the moderating role of the parenting context. Appetite, 52, 726–734.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kakinami, L., Barnett, T. A., Séguin, L., & Paradis, G. (2015). Parenting style and obesity risk in children. Preventive Medicine, 75, 18–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Katterman, S. N., Kleinman, B. M., Hood, M. M., Nackers, L. M., & Corsica, J. A. (2014). Mindfulness meditation as an intervention for binge eating, emotional eating, and weight loss: a systematic review. Eating Behaviors, 15, 197–204.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Larsen, R. J., & Diener, E. (1987). Affect intensity as an individual difference characteristic: a review. Journal of Research in Personality, 21, 1–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mir, S. A. (2016). Capstone: child temperament and parenting styles as predictors of BMI. College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations. 184. https://via.library.depaul.edu/csh_etd/184.

  • Mitchell, S., Brennan, L., Hayes, L., & Miles, C. L. (2009). Maternal psychosocial predictors of controlling parental feeding styles and practices. Appetite, 53, 384–389.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Molina, P., Sala, M. N., Zappulla, C., Bonfigliuoli, C., Cavioni, V., Zanetti, M. A., & Cicchetti, D. (2014). The Emotion Regulation Checklist—Italian translation. Validation of parent and teacher versions. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 11, 624–634.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muscarà, M., Pace, U., Passanisi, A., D’Urso, G., & Zappulla, C. (2018). The transition from middle school to high school: the mediating role of perceived peer support in the relationship between family functioning and school satisfaction. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27, 2690–2698.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Musher-Eizenman, D. R., De Lauzon-Guillain, B., Holub, S. C., Leporc, E., & Charles, M. A. (2009). Child and parent characteristics related to parental feeding practices. A cross-cultural examination in the US and France. Appetite, 52, 89–95.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Olivari, M. G., Confalonieri, E., & Ionio, C. (2011). Italian psychologists’ and midwives’ perceptions of the pregnant teen: a qualitative study. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 29, 343–353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olvera, N., & Power, T. G. (2010). Brief report: parenting styles and obesity in Mexican American children: a longitudinal study. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 35, 243–249.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pace, U., D’Urso, G., & Zappulla, C. (2018a). Negative eating attitudes and behaviors among adolescents: the role of parental control and perceived peer support. Appetite, 121, 77–82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pace, U., D’Urso, G., & Zappulla, C. (2019). Internalizing problems as a mediator in the relationship between low effortful control and internet abuse in adolescence: a three-wave longitudinal study. Computers in Human Behavior, 92, 47–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pace, U., Zappulla, C., & Di Maggio, R. (2016). The mediating role of perceived peer support in the relation between quality of attachment and internalizing problems in adolescence: a longitudinal perspective. Attachment and Human Development, 18, 508–524.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pace, U., Zappulla, C., & D’Urso, G. (2018b). Adolescent effortful control as moderator of father’s psychological control in externalizing problems: a longitudinal study. Journal of Psychology. Interdisciplinary and Applied, 152, 164–177.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Passanisi, A., Craparo, G., & Pace, U. (2017). Magical thinking and decision-making strategies among late adolescent regular gamblers: a mediation model. Journal of Adolescence, 59, 51–58.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Passanisi, A., & Pace, U. (2017). The unique and common contributions of impulsivity and decision-making strategies among young adult Italian regular gamblers. Personality and Individual Differences, 105, 24–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Puder, J. J., & Munsch, S. (2010). Psychological correlates of childhood obesity. International Journal of Obesity, 34, 37–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reitman, D., Rhode, P. C., Hupp, S. D. A., & Altobello, C. (2002). Development and validation of the Parental Authority Questionnaire—revised. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 24, 119–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rhee, K. E., Lumeng, J. C., Appugliese, D. P., Kaciroti, N., & Bradley, R. H. (2006). Parenting styles and overweight status in first grade. Pediatrics, 117, 2047–2054.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rothbart, M. K., & Bates, J. E. (2006). Temperament. In W. Damon, R. Lerner & N. Eisenberg (Eds), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 3. Social, emotional, and personality development. 6th edn. (pp. 99–166). New York, NY: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sallquist, J. V., Eisenberg, N., Spinrad, T. L., Reiser, M., Hofer, C., Zhou, Q., & Eggum, N. (2009). Positive and negative emotionality: trajectories across six years and relations with social competence. Emotion, 9, 15–28.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Shields, A., & Cicchetti, D. (1997). Emotion regulation among school-age children: the development and validation of a new criterion Q-sort scale. Developmental Psychology, 33, 906–916.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shloim, N., Edelson, L. R., Martin, N., & Hetherington, M.M. (2015). Parenting styles, feeding styles, feeding practices, and weight status in 4–12 year-old children: a systematic review of the literature. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1849.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sleddens, E. F., Gerards, S. M., Thijs, C., Vries, N. K., & Kremers, S. P. (2011). General parenting, childhood overweight and obesity-inducing behaviors: a review. International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, 6, e12–e27.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tagliabue, S., Olivari, M.G., Bacchini, D., Affuso, G., & Confalonieri, E. (2014). Measuring adolescents’ perceptions of parenting style during childhood: psychometric properties of the parenting styles and dimensions questionnaire. Psicologia: Teoria e Pesquisa, 30, 251–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, A., Wilson, C., Slater, A., & Mohr, P. (2011). Parent-and child-reported parenting. Associations with child weight-related outcomes. Appetite, 57, 700–706.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vollmer, R. L., & Mobley, A. R. (2013). Parenting styles, feeding styles, and their influence on child obesogenic behaviours and body weight. A review. Appetite, 71, 232–241.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization. (2018). World Health Statistics 2018: monitoring health for the SDGs. Available at: www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/2018/en/.

  • Wu, T., Dixon, W. E., Dalton, W. T., Tudiver, F., & Liu, X. (2011). Joint effects of child temperament and maternal sensitivity on the development of childhood obesity. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 32, 1474–1480.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zappulla, C., Pace, U., Lo Cascio, V., Guzzo, G., & Huebner, E. S. (2013). Factor structure and convergent validity of the long and abbreviated versions of the multidimensional students’ life satisfaction scale in an Italian sample. Social Indicators Research, 118, 57–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zullig, K. J., Matthews-Ewald, M. R., & Valois, R. F. (2016). Weight perceptions, disordered eating behaviors, and emotional self-efficacy among high school adolescents. Eating Behaviors, 21, 1–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author Contributions

U.P. and C.Z.: designed and executed the study, assisted with the data analyses, wrote the paper, and edited the final manuscript. F.A.: analyzed the data and wrote part of the results.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Università Kore di Enna (UKE), Cittadella Universitaria, Enna, Italy

    Ugo Pace & Fabio Aiello

  2. University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Carla Zappulla

Authors
  1. Ugo Pace
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fabio Aiello
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Carla Zappulla
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ugo Pace.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The research was approved by the ethics committee of Kore University of Enna. This Research did not receive any funds.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

Publisher’s note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Pace, U., Aiello, F. & Zappulla, C. Childhood Obesity: The Relationship Between Negative Emotionality, Emotion Regulation, and Parenting Styles. J Child Fam Stud 28, 2272–2279 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01443-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01443-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation