The Mediating Role of Self-Regulation in The Association Between Parental Autonomy Support and Dysfunctional Eating Habits in Emerging Adults
Loading...
Links to Files
Permanent Link
Author/Creator
Author/Creator ORCID
Date
2020-01-20
Type of Work
Department
Psychology
Program
Psychology
Citation of Original Publication
Rights
Distribution Rights granted to UMBC by the author.
This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by UMBC for non-commercial research and education. For permission to publish or reproduce, please see http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/specoll/repro.php or contact Special Collections at speccoll(at)umbc.edu
This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by UMBC for non-commercial research and education. For permission to publish or reproduce, please see http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/specoll/repro.php or contact Special Collections at speccoll(at)umbc.edu
Abstract
Emerging adulthood (18 to 25 years) is a critical developmental period for examining eating-related processes and self-regulation. Autonomy supportive parenting is a predictor of more positive self-regulation and adaptive outcomes in children. The overall purpose of the present study was to examine the relations between 365 emerging adults' perceptions of their parents' promotion of volitional functioning (PVF) and their reported dysfunctional eating habits (i.e., cognitive restraint, emotional eating and uncontrolled eating). In addition, the mediating roles of global and eating-specific (i.e., controlled and autonomous regulation of eating) self-regulation in these associations were explored. PVF was positively associated with global self-regulation and autonomous regulation of eating, and negatively associated with controlled regulation of eating, cognitive restraint, emotional eating and uncontrolled eating. Findings indicated that global and eating-specific self-regulation were differently associated with specific types of dysfunctional eating habits. Specifically, controlled regulation and autonomous regulation mediated the association between PVF and cognitive restraint, whereas global self-regulation mediated the association between PVF and emotional eating. Finally, global self-regulation, controlled regulation, and autonomous regulation mediated the association between PVF and uncontrolled eating. This level of specificity in the processes revealed in the present study has important implications for future studies and the design of intervention programs to promote the positive eating-related and health outcomes of emerging adults.