title: The relationship between depression and body dissatisfaction across pregnancy and the postpartum: a prospective study.
abstract: The overall aim of this study was to examine the relationship between depression and body dissatisfaction across pregnancy and the first 12 months postpartum. During pregnancy, women's (N = 116) perceived attractiveness and strength/fitness remained stable, while feeling fat and salience of weight/shape decreased in late pregnancy. During the postpartum, feeling fat and salience of weight/shape increased. Depression and body dissatisfaction scores were correlated with each other concurrently and across multiple time points. However, in baseline-controlled prospective analyses, only a model of greater depression late in pregnancy predicting body dissatisfaction at six weeks postpartum and feeling fat throughout the postpartum was supported.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Australia.
authors.forename: Abigail
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Skouteris
authors.forename: Eleanor H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Wertheim
authors.forename: Susan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Paxton
authors.forename: Jeannette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Milgrom
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D001835:Body Weight; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult