Background and Purpose: Food neophobia define as avoidance and aversion of novel foods that can have harmful consequences for children. In this regard, the present study aimed to predict the food neophobia by dimensions of personality and parenting styles.
Method: The research design was descriptive and correlational. The population of the study consisted of boy and girl students of the secondary schools of the first district of Rasht city in the academic year of 2017-2018. A sample of 400 boy and girl students was selected by convenient sampling method. The data were collected through food neophobia scale (Pliner & Hobden, 1992), big five questionnaire for children (Barbaranelli et al, 2005) and parenting style inventory (Baumrind, 1973). At the end, the data were analyzed by multiple regression stepwise.
Results: The results showed that personality dimensions of energy-extraversion (p<0/05), intellect-openness, agreeableness and emotional instability (p<0/01) could predict food neophobia. Also, the results indicated that it was possible to predict the food neophobia through authoritative parenting styles, authoritarian and permissive parenting (p<0/01).
Conclusion: In sum, the results show the relationship and the possibility of prediction the food neophobia by examining personality dimensions and parenting styles. According to the findings of this study, by improving the personality extroversion and developing an authoritative parenting style can reduce the food neophobia that is associated with many physical and psychological disorders.