The role of psychological control in the relationship between parental lying and eating disorders

Based on previous studies suggesting that parental lying may be compatible with negative psychological outcomes (Roza et al., 2024), this study aimed to investigate the cross-sectional associations between parental lying, parental control, internalizing problems, and eating disorders. In this context, adult participants were administered the Instrumental Lying Scale, which allows them to retrospectively evaluate statements made by their parents during childhood, and the Eating Disorder Rating Scale to measure current eating disorder symptoms. In addition, the Psychological Control Scale and Patient Health Questionnaire-4 were used to investigate the potential roles of parental psychological control and internalizing problems. The Demographic Information Form was created by the researcher for the purpose of the study, including questions that would be important about the sample. Using path analysis, the study investigated whether a significant portion of the relationship between parental lying and eating disorders was shared by parental control and internalizing symptoms, while controlling for relevant sociodemographic variables. The results showed that parental lying was not significantly associated with internalizing problems (β = 0,08; p = 0,166) or directly with eating disorder (β = 0,05; p = 0,399). While the indirect effect through parental control and internalizing problems was significant (β = 0,02; p = 0,014), the effects through internalizing problems alone (β = 0,02; p = 0,239) and parental control alone (β = 0,05; p = 0,085) were not significant. Although parental lying is not directly related to eating disorders or internalizing problems, the findings suggest that a significant portion of the association between parental lying and eating disorders is shared by parental control and internalizing problems. These findings highlight the potential benefit of family-based interventions that prioritize autonomy support and minimize parental psychological control.