Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin, USA.
Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, USA.
Body Image. 2022 Sep;42:197-204. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.06.007. Epub 2022 Jun 16.
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered the experiences of pregnant people. For example, the pandemic has disrupted access to healthcare, social distancing has reduced social support, and vaccine rollout has led to safety concerns. Consistent with the Developmental Theory of Embodiment, which posits that our experiences of our bodies are influenced by social factors, studies have revealed an uptick in body dissatisfaction and disordered eating during this time. However, research on pregnant people's experiences of their body and body image during the pandemic has been largely overlooked. In this exploratory qualitative study, we aimed to broadly understand how the pandemic and quarantine have impacted the way pregnant women (N = 190) in the US and UK relate to their bodies. We used Consensual Qualitative Research-Modified (CQR-M) to analyze pregnant women's brief textual accounts of their embodied experiences during the pandemic and identified eight core domains across the dataset. Some participants reported no change in their embodied experiences, whereas others reported accounts of appearance and weight concerns, health behavior self-judgment, gratitude for isolation, body appreciation, maternal healthcare concerns, COVID health concerns, and health and safety strategies. We conclude with implications and recommendations for supporting pregnant people and their embodied well-being during health crises.
新冠疫情 显著改变了孕妇的体验。例如，疫情扰乱了孕妇获取医疗保健的机会，社交隔离减少了社会支持，疫苗接种的开展导致了安全顾虑。与 身体体现发展理论 一致，该理论认为我们对身体的体验受到社会因素的影响，研究表明，在此期间，身体不满和饮食失调的现象有所增加。然而，关于孕妇在疫情期间对身体和身体形象的体验的研究在很大程度上被忽视了。在这项探索性的定性研究中，我们旨在广泛了解疫情和隔离如何影响美国和英国孕妇（N=190）与自身身体的关系。我们使用了 共识定性研究修正法（CQR-M） 来分析孕妇在疫情期间对其身体体验的简短文字描述，并在整个数据集中确定了八个核心领域。一些参与者报告说他们的身体体验没有变化，而另一些参与者则报告了对外观和体重的担忧、健康行为的自我判断、对隔离的感激、对身体的欣赏、对孕产妇保健的担忧、对 COVID 健康的担忧以及健康和安全策略。最后，我们提出了在健康危机期间支持孕妇及其身体幸福感的意义和建议。
