University of Texas Medical Branch, Correctional Managed Care, Galveston, Texas, USA.
Department of Psychology and Sociology, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, USA.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2024 Oct 7;24(1):653. doi: 10.1186/s12884-024-06857-6.
Pregnancy is a time of great change for women, both mentally and physically. For any pregnant woman, this time of change can be difficult as the woman needs to constantly adapt to the rapidly changing body. This change could be especially challenging for a woman who has previously struggled with symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), which cause individuals to perceive part(s) of their body as particularly ugly or deformed, creating distress that affects several areas of functioning. These distorted perceptions have been associated with low self-reported functioning in physical and psychological areas. The present study assessed the effects of BDD symptoms on the physical and psychological functioning of pregnant women at different points throughout their pregnancy.
During July 2021 through April 2022, one hundred and fifty-eight women were recruited from various mothers' Facebook groups, women's centers across a city in Southern Texas, and through Prolific. The sample consisted of women in their first, second and third trimesters, as well as women three months postpartum. Information about the presence of BDD symptoms, quality of life, and body image was collected.
We found that women in their second trimester possess the highest quality of life compared to women in their first trimester, third trimester or postpartum. Women with high BDD symptoms have lower quality of life and lower body image compared to women with low BDD, especially for those in their first or third trimesters.
These findings illustrate the necessity of targeted interventions and support for pregnant women, especially those with BDD symptoms, in order to promote their well-being throughout pregnancy and postpartum.
怀孕是女性身心发生巨大变化的时期。对于任何孕妇来说，这种变化时期都可能很困难，因为女性需要不断适应身体的快速变化。对于那些曾经患有身体畸形障碍（BDD）症状的女性来说，这种变化可能尤其具有挑战性，BDD 会导致个体将身体的某些部分感知为特别丑陋或畸形，从而产生影响多个功能领域的痛苦。这些扭曲的感知与身体和心理区域的自我报告功能低下有关。本研究评估了 BDD 症状在孕妇怀孕期间不同阶段对其身体和心理功能的影响。
在 2021 年 7 月至 2022 年 4 月期间，从各种母亲的 Facebook 群组、德克萨斯州南部一个城市的妇女中心以及 Prolific 招募了 158 名女性。该样本包括处于第一、第二和第三个三个月孕期的女性，以及产后三个月的女性。收集了有关 BDD 症状、生活质量和身体形象的信息。
我们发现，与处于第一孕期、第三孕期或产后的女性相比，处于第二孕期的女性拥有更高的生活质量。与 BDD 症状低的女性相比，BDD 症状高的女性生活质量较低，身体形象较差，尤其是在第一或第三孕期的女性。
这些发现表明，需要针对孕妇，尤其是那些患有 BDD 症状的孕妇，进行有针对性的干预和支持，以促进她们在整个孕期和产后的幸福感。
