Shao Jianmin, Chang Esther S, Tsong Yuying, Chen Chuansheng, Borelli Jessica L
Department of Psychological Science, 4201 Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697-7085, USA.
Social and Behavioral Sciences Division, Soka University of America, Aliso Viejo, CA, USA.
J Eat Disord. 2023 Feb 20;11(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s40337-023-00747-6.
Much research suggests that mothers play an important role in shaping daughters' body image, yet less is known about how mother-daughter relationship dynamics in weight management affect daughters' body dissatisfaction. The current paper described the development and validation of the mother-daughter Shared Agency in Weight Management Scale (SAWMS) and examined its associations with daughter's body dissatisfaction.
In Study 1 (N = 676 college students), we explored the factor structure of the mother-daughter SAWMS and identified three processes (control, autonomy support, and collaboration) whereby mothers work with daughters in weight management. In Study 2 (N = 439 college students), we finalized the factor structure of the scale by conducting two CFAs and assessing the test-retest reliability of each subscale. In Study 3 (same sample as Study 2), we examined the psychometric properties of the subscales and their associations with daughters' body dissatisfaction.
Combining results from EFA and IRT, we identified three mother-daughter dynamics in weight management-maternal control, maternal autonomy support, and maternal collaboration. However, based on various empirical results indicating poor psychometric properties of the maternal collaboration subscale, we removed it from the mother-daughter SAWMS and only evaluated the psychometric properties of the remaining two subscales (i.e., control and autonomy support). They explained a significant amount of variance in daughters' body dissatisfaction over and above the effect of maternal pressure to be thin. Maternal control was a significant and positive predictor of daughters' body dissatisfaction; maternal autonomy support was a significant and negative predictor.
Results suggested that maternal control in weight management was associated with daughters' increased body dissatisfaction, whereas maternal autonomy support in weight management was associated with daughters' lower body dissatisfaction. These specific ways in which mother work with daughters in weight management provide nuances in understanding young women's body dissatisfaction. Our SAWMS offers new ways to examine body image among young women through the mother-daughter relationship dynamics in weight management.
大量研究表明，母亲在塑造女儿的身体意象方面发挥着重要作用，但对于体重管理中母女关系动态如何影响女儿的身体不满，我们所知甚少。本文描述了母女体重管理共同作用量表（SAWMS）的编制与验证，并考察了该量表与女儿身体不满之间的关联。
在研究1（N = 676名大学生）中，我们探索了母女SAWMS的因子结构，并确定了母亲与女儿在体重管理中合作的三个过程（控制、自主支持和协作）。在研究2（N = 439名大学生）中，我们通过进行两次验证性因素分析并评估每个子量表的重测信度，最终确定了量表的因子结构。在研究3（与研究2样本相同）中，我们考察了子量表的心理测量特性及其与女儿身体不满的关联。
结合探索性因素分析和项目反应理论的结果，我们确定了体重管理中的三种母女动态关系——母亲控制、母亲自主支持和母亲协作。然而，基于各种实证结果表明母亲协作子量表的心理测量特性较差，我们将其从母女SAWMS中剔除，仅评估了其余两个子量表（即控制和自主支持）的心理测量特性。它们在母亲要求瘦的压力影响之外，解释了女儿身体不满中相当大的变异量。母亲控制是女儿身体不满的显著正向预测因子；母亲自主支持是显著负向预测因子。
结果表明，体重管理中的母亲控制与女儿身体不满增加有关，而体重管理中的母亲自主支持与女儿身体不满降低有关。母亲在体重管理中与女儿合作的这些特定方式为理解年轻女性的身体不满提供了细微差别。我们的SAWMS通过体重管理中的母女关系动态，为考察年轻女性的身体意象提供了新方法。
