The role of ethnicity and parental bonding in the eating and weight concerns of Asian-American and Caucasian college women.

Objectives: The purpose of this research was to explore the associations among ethnicity, parental bonding, acculturation, and eating disturbance in Asian-American and Caucasian weight-concerned college women.

Methods: Twenty-five Asian-American and 26 Caucasian weight-concerned women were administered the Eating Disorder Examination interview, the Parental Bonding Instrument, and three subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory. Asian-American subjects also filled out the Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale questionnaire.

Results: Contrary to hypotheses, weight-concerned Asian-American women reported more dissatisfaction with body shape than did Caucasian women. Moreover, in the Asian-American group, acculturation was not associated with level of eating disturbance. In both groups, perceptions of low maternal caring were associated with higher levels of eating problems. In regression analyses, maternal care emerged as a better predictor of eating disturbance than did ethnicity.

Discussion: Results suggest that quality of parent-child relations, particularly the mother-daughter relationship, may be important in the etiology of eating problems, irrespective of ethnicity. Longitudinal investigations will be required to test causal relations.