Evidence mapPaperPMID 41857642Full record

ReviewJournal of eating disorders2026

A scoping review of eating disorder symptoms and mental health during the postpartum period: predictors, course, and consequences for mothers and infants.

Marina Stranieri Pearsall, Wan-Chen Lin, Nisha Gottfredson O'Shea

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of eating disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

3 authors.

Marina Stranieri PearsallResearch Triangle Institute, 3040 E. Cornwallis Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA. mpearsall@rti.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8555-0065
Wan-Chen LinUniversity of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, 135 Dauer Dr, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-6829-1593
Nisha Gottfredson O'SheaResearch Triangle Institute, 3040 E. Cornwallis Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4765-7179

Funding

National Institute on Mental Health R01MH134039
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveEating disorders (ED) are most prevalent in women of reproductive age. EDs affect fertility, maternal BMI, and obstetric outcomes. During the early postpartum period, women with an ED history are at high risk for relapse. However, research on the impact of ED on maternal and infant health and development during the first postpartum year is limited. This scoping review provides an overview of the current research on postpartum ED symptoms and their effects on mothers and their babies as well as limitations of current postpartum screening practices.

methodsThis scoping review was conducted in accordance with JBI Scoping Review Methodology. It included all available English-language literature published between 2000 and January 2025 that was available on PubMed, SCOPUS, and APA PsycInfo electronic databases. We included peer-reviewed empirical manuscripts that measured maternal ED symptoms or diagnoses and that had outcomes on maternal mental health, infant development, or infant feeding interactions during the first year postpartum.

resultsOf 332 citations identified in the initial search, 43 articles were included in the review. The majority were conducted in North American and European countries. Several longitudinal studies found an increase in ED symptoms after childbirth, particularly among women with a lifetime history of EDs; compared to women with no history, women with a history of ED symptoms had elevated anxiety and depression during the postpartum period. Findings from studies assessing the relationship between ED history and breastfeeding outcomes were mixed, although infant feeding difficulties appear to be more common in women with a history of ED symptoms. DISCUSSION: This review provides novel insights into ED symptoms, effects, and care in the postpartum period. Women with ED symptoms are at higher risk for developing mental health conditions during postpartum and are more likely to experience a relapse. These symptoms likely affect the mother-infant feeding relationship. This review also highlighted the lack of research focused on tailored screening and treatment strategies for this population, indicating a need for further research on women with ED symptoms during a critical period.

Indexed as

BreastfeedingEating disordersInfant feedingMaternal healthcarePostpartum screening

Identifiers

PMID41857642
PMCPMC13122901

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.