Abstract
Background & Objectives: During biological, psychological, and social development, teenagers are involved in a series of changes in their thinking, social relationships, and physical conditions, which may sometimes endanger their growth and development. Eating disorders are among the most important clinical problems of adolescents, which are associated with significant psychological and physical injuries, and their prevalence has been increasing in recent decades. The occurrence of eating disorders in adolescents depends on countless variables, from socio-cultural factors to biological, genetic, and psychological. Two of these factors are parental autonomy support and parental control. These factors can also play a role in increasing psychological well–being and reducing psychological injuries by affecting the satisfaction of basic psychological needs. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between parental autonomy support and parental control with symptoms of eating disorders in 13 to 18 years old adolescents with the mediation of satisfaction of basic psychological needs.
Methods: This analytical research research was of correlational type and based on structural equation modeling method. All the students of the first and second secondary schools (13 to 18 years) of the fifth district of Tehran City, Iran, who were studying in the academic year of 2023–2024, constituted the statistical population of this study. Using the available sampling method, 565 of these students were selected and answered the Perceived Parental Autonomy Support Scale (Mageau et al., 2015), the Basic Psychological Needs Scale (Reeve & Sickenius, 1994), and the Eating Attitude Test (Garner et al., 1982). Data analysis was done at two descriptive and inferential levels. At the descriptive level, descriptive statistical indicators such as frequency, minimum score, maximum score, mean, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis were used. At the inferential level, the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to check the correlation between research variables. Also, the examination of the conceptual model was done using structural equation modeling. Data were analyzed at a significance level of 0.05 using SPSS software version 22 and AMOS software version 22.
Results: The results showed that the fit indices of the model are at an acceptable level (χ2/df=1.42, RMSEA=0.063, GFI=0.92, IFI=0.94, CFI=0.93, AGFI=0.89, PNFI=0,71). The indirect effect of parental perceived autonomy support through the satisfaction of basic psychological needs on the symptoms of eating disorders (p<0.001, β=0.200) and the effect of parental control through the satisfaction of basic psychological needs on the symptoms of eating disorders (p=0.012, β=–0.171) were significant. Also, the direct effect of satisfaction of basic psychological needs on the symptoms of eating disorders was negative and significant (p=0.032, β=–0.189).
Conclusion: In general, it is concluded that the autonomy–supporting environment in the family can play a protective role against the occurrence of eating disorders in 13 to 18 years old adolescents by satisfying basic psychological needs. However, an environment with the nature of psychological control in the family causes failure of the basic psychological needs in teenagers and ultimately contributes to the occurrence of higher levels of symptoms of eating disorders in adolescents 13 to 18 years old.
