High incidence of body image dissatisfaction in pregnancy and the postnatal period: Associations with depression, anxiety, body mass index and weight gain during pregnancy

摘要

Highlights ? There is a high incidence of body image dissatisfaction in pregnancy and the postnatal period which was associated with current antenatal depression, severity of depression, a lifetime history of mood disorders, trait anxiety, body mass index (BMI) and weight gain during pregnancy (WG). ? However, the body satisfaction improved after delivery but was still associated with depression, lifetime history of mood disorders, age, BMI, and WG. ? Despite the evidence highlighting significant associations between increased body image disturbances and adverse physical and mental health outcomes for the mother and the unborn child, less than one third of professionals assess for body image disturbances in a routine antenatal care. Abstract This study aimed to delineate the prevalence of body image dissatisfaction in pregnant women and parturients in relation to depression and anxiety symptoms. We assessed 126 pregnant women during the third trimester and 2–3 days and 4–6 weeks after delivery using the Body Image Scale (BIS). Many pregnant participants (34.1%) showed body image dissatisfaction (BIS score ≤3) which was associated with current antenatal depression, severity of depression, a lifetime history of mood disorders, trait anxiety, body mass index (BMI) and weight gain during pregnancy. The BIS score improved after delivery but was still associated with depression, lifetime history of mood disorders, age, BMI and weight gain during pregnancy. These findings suggest that about a third of pregnant women have a body image disturbance which is strongly associated with current and a life history of clinical depression and anxiety symptoms. Medical personnel should be alert to detect body image dissatisfaction in pregnant women because it may indicate an underlying mood disorder. ]]>