School of Behavioural & Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, Strathfield, NSW, Australia.
School of Behavioural & Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, Strathfield, NSW, Australia.
J Affect Disord. 2022 Sep 15;313:84-91. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.06.068. Epub 2022 Jun 27.
Women undergo significant physical, physiological, and psychological changes during pregnancy. They are also exposed to sociocultural pressure to meet appearance-related ideals. These pregnancy-related changes and sociocultural appearance-related pressures may place pregnant women at greater vulnerability to developing body dissatisfaction and psychological distress. To date, however, little is known about how sociocultural pressure may influence pregnancy-related anxiety, or factors that may protect against such distress during pregnancy. This study examined whether body dissatisfaction mediated the relationship between appearance-related sociocultural pressure and pregnancy-related anxiety, and whether this relationship was moderated by self-compassion and/or self-criticism.
A cross-sectional sample of 253 pregnant women (M = 26.28, SD = 4.43) completed an online questionnaire measuring sociocultural pressure, body dissatisfaction, pregnancy-related anxiety, and self-compassion.
Moderated mediation analyses revealed body dissatisfaction fully mediated the relationship between sociocultural pressure and pregnancy-related anxiety. Analyses confirmed the moderating role of self-compassion and self-criticism on the relationship between sociocultural pressure and body dissatisfaction, but not on the relationship between body dissatisfaction and pregnancy-related anxiety.
The cross-sectional nature of this study limits confirmation of the direction of relationships between sociocultural pressure, body dissatisfaction and pregnancy-related anxiety.
While the findings of this study need to be replicated in prospective and longitudinal studies, they suggest that sociocultural pressure to meet appearance-related standards contribute to body dissatisfaction, which in turn may facilitate pregnancy-related anxiety. Self-compassion may protect the body image of pregnant women against negative effects of appearance-related sociocultural pressure.
女性在怀孕期间会经历身体、生理和心理上的巨大变化。她们还面临着与外表相关的理想的社会文化压力。这些与怀孕相关的变化和与社会文化有关的外表压力可能使孕妇更容易感到不满和心理困扰。然而，迄今为止，人们对社会文化压力如何影响与怀孕相关的焦虑，以及在怀孕期间有哪些因素可以预防这种困扰知之甚少。本研究探讨了身体不满是否在与外表相关的社会文化压力和与怀孕相关的焦虑之间起中介作用，以及这种关系是否受到自我同情和/或自我批判的调节。
对 253 名孕妇（M=26.28，SD=4.43）进行了横断面样本调查，他们完成了一份在线问卷，问卷内容包括社会文化压力、身体不满、与怀孕相关的焦虑和自我同情。
调节中介分析显示，身体不满完全中介了社会文化压力与与怀孕相关的焦虑之间的关系。分析证实了自我同情和自我批判对社会文化压力与身体不满之间关系的调节作用，但对身体不满与与怀孕相关的焦虑之间关系没有调节作用。
本研究的横断面性质限制了对社会文化压力、身体不满和与怀孕相关的焦虑之间关系的方向的确认。
虽然本研究的结果需要在前瞻性和纵向研究中得到复制，但它们表明，为了达到与外表相关的标准而面临的社会文化压力会导致身体不满，这反过来又可能导致与怀孕相关的焦虑。自我同情可以保护孕妇的身体形象免受与外表相关的社会文化压力的负面影响。
