The mother–daughter Shared Agency in Weight Management Scale (SAWMS): development, validation, and implications for body dissatisfaction

BACKGROUND: 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. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSIONS: 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.