Systemic perspective on obesity in childhood: a preliminary study on power interactions between mother and child

33 mother-child dyads with an obese child (aged 9 to 12 years) and a similar control group were studied. The power interaction was used as an indicator of the style of the relationship between mother and child. To analyse the interactions the model of Watzlawick, Beavin, and Jackson was used because it considers three different possible situations of complementarity, symmetry, and parallelism. A revised version of the Scoresby Relationship Style Inventory was given. Analysis showed that dyads with obese children differ in some ways from the control dyads. These differences include the mother's dominant position in the relationship and the tendency of the obese child to avoid conflict and symmetry and to adopt a "one-down' complementary position. We conclude it is important to improve the study of childhood obesity from a systemic perspective and to extend this analysis to other aspects of the complex familial picture to prevent overweight or to maintain it within reasonable limits thereby avoiding more serious complications.