Mother and child personality traits associated with common feeding strategies and child body mass index

The feeding strategies that parents use with their children shape their children's attitudes and behaviors toward food. The present research examined whether personality traits of the mother and the child are associated with the types of feeding strategies mothers use with their children. The present research also examined whether these characteristics are associated with the child's body mass index (BMI). Mothers (N = 2928) reported how often they used three feeding strategies (Restriction, Pressure to Eat, Monitoring) with the target child and their personality and the personality of the child. Both mother and child Conscientiousness were associated significantly with less use of Restriction and Pressure to Eat and more use of Monitoring. Child Openness and Agreeableness were likewise related to less use of Restriction and Pressure to Eat. Mother and child Conscientiousness were associated with child obesity: Children with obesity scored lower in Conscientiousness and also had mothers who scored lower on this trait; Restriction and Pressure to Eat partially mediated the association between mother Conscientiousness and child BMI. The present findings suggest that individual differences in both mother and child personality are associated with the use of three common feeding strategies in childhood and the child's weight.