A study of the relationship between parental bonding, self-concept and eating disturbances in Norwegian and American college populations.

This study investigated the relationship between bonding patterns and self-concept, and the influence of these constructs on a measure of sub-clinical eating disturbances. Undergraduate students from the United States (N=166) and Norway (N=233) were given self-report questionnaires that included measures of parental bonding, locus of control, self-concept clarity, self-esteem, and disturbed cognitions associated with eating. A structural equation model showed the expected pattern, with bonding predicting self-concept and self-concept predicting eating disturbances. The model fit equally well for samples from both countries and for both genders. This model links the pattern of low care and overprotective parental bonding indicators mediated through a self-concept defined by a lack of self-understanding, low self-esteem, and external locus of control to increased risk of eating disturbances for college aged men and women.