Maternal Influence on Daughters’ Body Image: A Quantitative Study

Jelan, Hafswa (2025) Maternal Influence on Daughters’ Body Image: A Quantitative Study. Undergraduate thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

This study explores the impact mothers have on their daughters’ body image through maternal factors, such as, maternal pressures, maternal fat talk, appearance comparisons and the internalisation of the thin ideal. Building on prior research, this study seeks to address a gap in the isolation of maternal influences rather than broader factors. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was employed, with a sample of 90 female participants, aged 18-24, having completed an online survey. Measures included the internalisation of thin ideals subscale and the family pressures subscale taken from the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ-4R), the Family Fat Talk Questionnaire (FFTQ), the Physical Appearance Comparison Scale-Revised (PACS-R), and the Dissatisfaction subscale of The Multi-faceted Instrument for Body image Disturbance (MI-BoD). Pearson’s correlations and multiple regression analyses revealed that maternal fat talk, maternal pressures and the internalisation of thin ideals significantly predicted body dissatisfaction (R² = .44, p < .001), while appearance comparisons did not yield significant results. These findings highlight the substantial role of maternal communication and modelling in shaping young women’s body perceptions, underscoring the need for interventions targeting mother-daughter dynamics. The study contributes to existing literature by addressing gaps in research that focus solely on maternal influence, rather than familial or media influences collectively. Future research should further explore the mechanisms through which maternal behaviours contribute to body dissatisfaction to inform preventive strategies for fostering positive body image development.

Item Type:	Thesis (Undergraduate)
Supervisors:	Name Email Coughlan, Barry UNSPECIFIED
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > Psychology H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > Psychology > Body image
Divisions:	School of Business (- 2025) > BA (Honours) in Psychology
Depositing User:	Ciara O'Brien
Date Deposited:	10 Nov 2025 10:06
Last Modified:	10 Nov 2025 10:06
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/8897

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