329
Views
11
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

The influence of psychological distress during pregnancy on early postpartum weight retention

, &
Pages 25-40 | Received 06 Jul 2013, Accepted 15 Sep 2013, Published online: 28 Nov 2013
 

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy has been identified as a risk factor for increasing rates of obesity in women. In recent years, psychological factors have been demonstrated to play a key role in contributing to and maintaining postpartum weight retention (PWR). Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between psychological distress during late pregnancy and early postpartum, specifically depression, anxiety, stress, and body dissatisfaction, and early PWR. Methods: Pregnant women (N = 227) completed a series of questionnaires at 32 weeks gestation and 3 months postpartum. Results: The most salient predictor of PWR was gestational weight gain (GWG). In a prospective hierarchical regression analysis, only GWG contributed unique prediction of early PWR. In a second hierarchical regression analysis examining cross-sectional relationships with three-month PWR, GWG and early postpartum stress contributed unique variance while the contribution of feelings of fatness approached significance. Conclusions: Given the large association of GWG to early PWR, interventions should focus on the prevention of GWG during pregnancy, as well as screening for body dissatisfaction and stress in the early postpartum.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 515.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.