Abstract
This study considered the relationship between prompts by mothers or fathers for their children to eat, and their children's negative and positive emotions, comparing mothers and fathers. It also analyzed the relationship between each parental behavior, the marital relationship, and other demographic factors, from a family systems perspective. Participants were 28 families with one 4- or 5- years old child and two parents. Each family was videotaped at the dinner table on two occasions with all members present, and the parents also filled out questionnaires. It was found that the stronger the mother's or father's prompt to eat, the stronger was the child's expression of negative emotion. In addition, the poorer the quality of the marital relationship, the stronger the mother's prompt to eat was. Finally, the younger the child, the stronger prompts to eat were from both mothers and fathers.
