Respostas assertivas, autorregras e estilos parentais de mulheres em relação ao comportamento alimentar dos filhos

Abstract

The present study aimed to identify the situations in which women had difficulties exhibiting behaviors such as making and refusing requests, expressing dissatisfaction, and asking their children to change their behavior concerning food, as well as the potential self rules associated with these challenges. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate whether there are correlations between self-reported assertiveness, sociodemographic variables, and parental eating styles. For this purpose, a descriptive-analytical cross- sectional study was conducted with 135 women aged between 30 and 50 years with children aged between 6 and 12 years. These women had either complete or incomplete higher education and lived in the metropolitan region of Belém-PA. They completed a Sociodemographic Questionnaire, an Assertiveness Questionnaire in Parental Affective Relationships, an Assertive Skills Inventory (IHA), and a Parental Eating Styles Questionnaire (QEPA). The results indicated that most participants had a median score of assertive skills (50.4%), and variables such as employment, education, and income had a significant correlation with assertiveness. Furthermore, most participants (65.2%) exhibited permissive parental styles when feeding their children. The participants reported difficulty exhibiting the targeted behaviors, citing various situations that made it challenging. They found it most difficult to make requests regarding children's food (74.8%), whereas situations involving expressing dissatisfaction occurred less frequently (59.2%). The most frequently indicated situational categories were related to the consumption of "ultra-processed foods" (26.25%) and "vegetables and fruits" (25.33%). The self-rule most described as a reason for not exhibiting the behaviors was "will not comply/obey" (29.44%), suggesting that these behaviors were not reinforced in the past. The results contribute to a better understanding of women's assertiveness in parental relationships and the influence of parental style on eating.