Paternal rejection, psychological maladjustment, and child emotional eating: Path analysis in 8- to 11-year-old boys and girls

We examined the impact of paternal rejection (based on father’s and children’s reports) on the children’s emotional eating behavior and if child psychological maladjustment mediated this relationship. Three hundred sixty-nine dyads of fathers and children were screened using self- report measures of demographic data, parental rejection, child psychological maladjustment, and disordered eating behavior. Children’s subjective perceptions of relationship with father have more impact on their psychological outcomes and unhealthy dietary patterns than father reported parenting quality. Children’s unhealthy psychological adjustment may be an essential underlying mechanism linking perceived paternal rejection of children’s emotional eating behaviors.