Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecological Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.
J Obstet Gynaecol. 2022 Jul;42(5):1103-1111. doi: 10.1080/01443615.2021.2006160. Epub 2022 Jan 6.
The body image of women in the postpartum period can be far from society's idealised body, and this can cause body dissatisfaction. This qualitative study aimed to evaluate the body image perception of women who had started working in the postpartum period, based on the grounded theory research method. A total of 22 face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants who were actively involved in working life and between 3 months and 1 year postpartum. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with a personal information form and semi-structured interview form. Coding created four main categories ('weight fluctuations and body shape', 'body-related perception', 'body-related responses from the environment' and 'body perception improvement process') and eight sub-categories. The results found that the postpartum period is a sensitive one for working women, where they have both positive and negative experiences. Their responsibilities increase, they have little time for themselves and their bodies, they experience body image dissatisfaction, and they expect support from their spouses, families, social circles and health professionals.Impact Statement Postpartum body image is an important research subject because it expands the scope of body image literature and has significant effects on gender problems. Not being able to lose the weight gained in postpartum period or the weight gained during pregnancy is an important problem for women. With women starting working life, this period seems to be a more sensitive and anxious one for some women. Most of the women in this study experience body dissatisfaction in the postpartum period. Some women do not want to leave the house because of their negative body image perceptions. It is an important finding that women want their spouse to gain weight during this period. The findings of our study revealed that working mothers in the postpartum period have difficulty in sparing time for themselves and their bodies due to increased responsibilities. Working women are in particular need for more support due to their increased workloads, roles and responsibilities in childcare. Our study may guide future studies focussing on women's body image perceptions and influencing factors.
女性产后的身体意象可能与社会理想化的身体形象相去甚远，从而导致身体不满。本定性研究采用扎根理论研究方法，旨在评估产后开始工作的女性的身体意象感知。共对 22 名积极参与工作生活且产后 3 个月至 1 年的参与者进行了面对面访谈。通过个人信息表和半结构化访谈表进行深入访谈收集数据。编码创建了四个主要类别（“体重波动和体型”、“与身体相关的感知”、“来自环境的与身体相关的反应”和“身体感知改善过程”）和八个子类别。结果发现，产后时期对于职业女性来说是一个敏感时期，她们既有积极的体验，也有消极的体验。她们的责任增加，几乎没有时间关注自己和自己的身体，她们对身体形象不满，希望得到配偶、家人、社交圈和健康专业人员的支持。
影响声明 产后身体意象是一个重要的研究课题，因为它扩展了身体意象文献的范围，并对性别问题产生了重大影响。无法减掉产后或怀孕期间增加的体重是女性的一个重要问题。随着女性开始工作，对一些女性来说，这段时间似乎更加敏感和焦虑。本研究中的大多数女性在产后期间都经历过身体不满。由于负面的身体意象感知，一些女性不想出门。重要的发现是，女性希望在这段时间配偶体重增加。我们的研究结果表明，由于责任增加，产后的职业母亲很难抽出时间关注自己和身体。由于工作量增加、育儿角色和责任增加，职业女性尤其需要更多支持。我们的研究可能为未来专注于女性身体意象感知和影响因素的研究提供指导。
