Parents and caregivers as key players in the prevention and identification of body image concerns and eating disorders among early adolescents

ABSTRACT

Early adolescence (ages 11–14 years) is a key period for the emergence of body image and eating concerns, and early identification and access to treatment are imperative for positive outcomes. Despite research identifying this critical developmental period, few prevention resources are available for early adolescents. Parents are key players for this age group and important socializing agents. As such, they are well positioned to help youth access resources or support where needed. However, programs to position and involve parents as interventionists are lacking. Our aims are two-fold. First, we review the evidence for the effectiveness of parents as body image interventionists and the existing data regarding parental needs. Second, we provide directions for future research and outline a framework for empowering parents as interventionists, identifying key domains in which parents may play a role in addressing body image and eating concerns among early adolescents. Based on the extent literature, these domains include facilitating engagement with or co-utilizing intervention content to decrease body image and eating concerns in at-risk children, which may also help to increase parents’ effectiveness in their efforts to support youth. In addition, parents may deliver content to decrease or reverse risk-factors and early symptoms, or disrupt the early disorder phase of illness. To date, parents constitute an underutilized resource in eating disorder and disordered eating prevention, and efforts should be made to increase the evidence-based strategies to leverage their relationship with at-risk children.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).