Parenting styles, maladaptive coping styles, and disturbed eating attitudes and behaviors: a multiple mediation analysis in patients with feeding and eating disorders

BACKGROUND: Although preliminary studies support the roles of unhealthy parenting styles and maladaptive coping styles in increasing rates of disturbed eating attitudes and behaviors (EAB) and clinically significant feeding and eating disorders (FED), underlying mechanisms have not been well-recognized. This study aims to investigate the factors associated with disturbed EAB and the mediating roles of overcompensation and avoidance coping styles in the relationship between different types of parenting styles and disturbed EAB among patients with FED. METHODS: A total of 102 patients with FED in Zahedan, Iran, participating in this cross-sectional study (from April to March 2022) completed a sociodemographic information form and self-report measures of parenting styles, maladaptive coping styles, and EAB. Model 4 of Hayes’ PROCESS macro in SPSS was employed to identify and explain the mechanism or process that underlies an observed relationship between study variables. RESULTS: The results showed that authoritarian parenting style, overcompensation and avoidance coping styles, and female gender might be related to disturbed EAB. The overall hypothesis that overcompensation and avoidance coping styles mediated the effect of fathers’ and mothers’ authoritarian parenting styles on disturbed EAB was also supported. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlighted the necessity of evaluating particular unhealthy parenting styles and maladaptive coping styles as the important possible risk factors in the development and maintenance of higher level of disturbance in EAB among patients with FED. However, more research is needed to explore individual, family, and peer risk factors for disturbed EAB among these patients.