Parental comments: Relationship with gender, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating in Asian young adults

•Parental comments, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating in Asia were explored.•Young women report more parental comments, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating.•Negative maternal comments predicted body dissatisfaction and disordered eating.•Body dissatisfaction mediates the effect of parental comments on disordered eating.•Parental influence via comments continues to be salient in young adulthood.

The present study explored the relationships between different categories of parental comments (negative, positive, and importance and comparison), body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating concerns in 383 young adults (69% female) in Singapore. Self-report measures of parental comments, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating were completed with results indicating that females, compared to males, reported significantly higher levels of body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and negative maternal and positive paternal comments. Although the relationships found between the different categories of parental comments, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating differed by gender, negative maternal comments emerged as a consistent predictor of disordered eating for both genders. This relationship was partially mediated by body dissatisfaction. The findings highlight the role of parental influence through weight-related comments on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating, and the need for further exploration of gender-specific pathways of parental influence.