Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40937614›Full record

ArticleJournal of reproductive and infant psychology2025

Body image and eating habits during pregnancy and postpartum: themes and suggestions for maternal healthcare.

Caroline Christian, A'mara S Braynen, Sara R Clark, Shannon D Donofry

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of reproductive and infant psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Caroline ChristianDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
A'mara S BraynenDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Sara R ClarkDepartment of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
Shannon D DonofryRAND, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Funding

CARDIOVASCULAR BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE RESEARCH TRAININGT32HL007560 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI Peter J Gianaros, REBECCA C THURSTON · 1985 to 2026
$11.3M
NHLBI NIH HHS T32 HL007560
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPregnancy to postpartum is a critical transition period for changes in mental health, including disordered eating habits and body image concerns. In order to understand why some people experience new or worsening eating disorder symptoms during this period, it is important to gather insights from individuals with recent lived experience of pregnancy. Lived experience is also valuable for informing how to best address eating disorder concerns in obstetric healthcare settings.

methodsWomen around eight weeks postpartum (

resultsAbout 45% and 25% of participants in our sample endorsed self-critical responses to changes in body shape/weight and eating habits, respectively. Smaller proportions of the sample endorsed acceptance of or empowerment from physical changes. Factors that impacted how individuals responded to physical changes included expectations, social factors, physiological factors, and stage of pregnancy. Commonly endorsed suggestions for healthcare providers included reduced weight-focused judgement and increased nutritional guidance.

conclusionIdentified themes provide insight into what factors may contribute to risk for unhelpful changes in eating habits and body image concerns during pregnancy and postpartum. Future research should quantitatively explore these themes and their relation to postpartum mental and physical health outcomes. This research highlights the importance of incorporating lived experience into discussions of peripartum mental health and obstetric healthcare.

Indexed as

body imagedisordered eatingpostpartumPregnancyself-criticismthematic analysis

Identifiers

PMID40937614
PMCPMC12487987

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.