Department of Public Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA.
Department of Communication Studies, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Oct 21;18(21):11063. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182111063.
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the physical and mental health of many and has necessitated widespread societal shifts, including changes to work and family activities. These changes have impacted individuals' identity, including their sexual self-image and body image, yet research on perceptions of these changes is missing. This study reports on quantitative and qualitative data from an electronic survey with adults in the United States ( = 326) to examine these perceptions. Body appreciation did not significantly differ between demographic groups. Themes emerging from the qualitative results included changes in general self-image (becoming more restricted or disempowered), changes in sexual self-image (deepening, becoming more sexy/sexual, or less sexy/sexual), and changes in body image (positive, negative, and neutral). Our findings point to positive, negative, and neutral effects on sexual self-image and body image, implying that nuanced approaches are needed to understand how identity has transformed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
新冠疫情对许多人的身心健康产生了负面影响，并导致了广泛的社会变革，包括工作和家庭活动的变化。这些变化影响了个人的身份认同，包括他们的性自我形象和身体形象，但对这些变化的看法的研究还很缺乏。本研究报告了一项针对美国成年人（n = 326）的电子调查的定量和定性数据，以检验这些看法。身体欣赏在人口统计学群体之间没有显著差异。定性结果中出现的主题包括一般自我形象的变化（变得更加受限或无力）、性自我形象的变化（加深、变得更性感/性化，或不那么性感/性化），以及身体形象的变化（积极、消极和中性）。我们的研究结果表明，性自我形象和身体形象存在积极、消极和中性的影响，这意味着需要采取细致入微的方法来理解身份认同如何因新冠疫情而发生转变。
