Stein Sara F, Nuttall Amy K, Gearhardt Ashley N, Riley Hurley O, Kaciroti Niko, Rosenblum Katherine L, Lumeng Julie C, Miller Alison L
Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; School of Social Work, University of Michigan, 1080 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University, 552 West Circle Drive, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Eat Behav. 2025 Jan;56:101946. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2025.101946. Epub 2025 Jan 23.
The first year postpartum is a sensitive time for maternal eating behaviors including emotional, external and restrained eating, which have all been associated with negative health outcomes. Furthermore, among women with a history of trauma, the stress of the postpartum period and early parenting may replicate feelings of helplessness and overwhelm experienced during childhood trauma, which may further contribute to these eating behaviors. Although evidence has shown how mothers eat during this time has long-term implications for infants' eating and health, limited research has characterized eating trajectories and associations with women's history of childhood trauma exposure during this critical period. This exploratory study examined trajectories of emotional, external, and restrained eating across the first year postpartum and delineated associations with childhood trauma. Women (N = 283) reported on emotional, external, and restrained eating across the first year postpartum (2, 6, and 12 months), and on childhood trauma exposure, postpartum depression symptoms, breastfeeding, and pre-pregnancy body mass index. Results of latent growth curve modeling revealed that mother's emotional and external eating increased while restrained eating did not change across the first year postpartum. Furthermore, mother's exposure to childhood trauma was associated with greater increases in emotional eating across the first year postpartum but not with the external and restrained eating trajectories. Findings provide valuable information on the trajectories and risk factors for postpartum eating behaviors.
产后第一年是母亲饮食行为的敏感时期，包括情绪化饮食、外部驱动饮食和节制饮食，所有这些都与负面健康结果相关。此外，在有创伤史的女性中，产后时期和早期育儿的压力可能会重现童年创伤期间经历的无助和不知所措的感觉，这可能会进一步导致这些饮食行为。尽管有证据表明母亲在此期间的饮食方式对婴儿的饮食和健康有长期影响，但在这一关键时期，关于饮食轨迹以及与女性童年创伤暴露史之间关联的研究却很有限。这项探索性研究考察了产后第一年情绪化饮食、外部驱动饮食和节制饮食的轨迹，并描绘了其与童年创伤的关联。女性（N = 283）报告了产后第一年（2个月、6个月和12个月）的情绪化饮食、外部驱动饮食和节制饮食情况，以及童年创伤暴露情况、产后抑郁症状、母乳喂养情况和孕前体重指数。潜在增长曲线模型的结果显示，在产后第一年，母亲的情绪化饮食和外部驱动饮食有所增加，而节制饮食没有变化。此外，母亲童年创伤暴露与产后第一年情绪化饮食的更大增加有关，但与外部驱动饮食和节制饮食轨迹无关。研究结果为产后饮食行为的轨迹和风险因素提供了有价值的信息。
