Weight stigma and the development of body image resilience during preconception, pregnancy and postpartum: A qualitative interview study.

IF 1.9 Q3 PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL

Health Psychology Open Pub Date : 2026-07-29 eCollection Date: 2026-01-01 DOI:10.1177/20551029261473941

Michelle Dever, Angela C Incollingo Rodriguez, Ashley Winning, Helen Skouteris, Briony Hill

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Weight stigma during preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum undermines women's wellbeing and health behaviours, yet little is known about how women protect body image within weight-stigmatising environments. This qualitative study explored how women develop body image resilience in response to weight stigma across reproductive stages. Semi-structured Zoom interviews were conducted with 20 Australian women aged 25-42 years. Deductive content analysis identified sources of weight stigma, while reflexive thematic analysis explored resilience strategies. Women experienced stigma from their own mothers, older adults (including healthcare professionals), social and digital media, and self-stigma. Three resilience themes were generated: strategising self-protection through boundary-setting, asserting autonomy, and cultivating supportive relationships; breaking intergenerational cycles by recognising inherited body criticism and modelling body positivity for children; and embodying self-acceptance through age-related perspective, health prioritisation, and reproductive body appreciation. These findings position the reproductive period as integral to strengthening body image resilience and shaping healthier body attitudes across generations.

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体重耻辱感与孕前、妊娠和产后身体形象弹性的发展：一项质性访谈研究。

孕前、怀孕和产后对体重的歧视会破坏女性的健康和行为，但人们对女性如何在歧视体重的环境中保护自己的身体形象知之甚少。本定性研究探讨了女性在生育阶段如何发展身体形象弹性以应对体重耻辱感。对20名年龄在25-42岁之间的澳大利亚女性进行了半结构化的Zoom访谈。演绎内容分析确定了体重病耻感的来源，而反身性主题分析探讨了恢复力策略。女性经历了来自自己母亲、老年人（包括医疗保健专业人员）、社交和数字媒体以及自我耻辱的耻辱。产生了三个弹性主题：通过设置边界、主张自主权和培养支持性关系来制定自我保护战略；通过承认遗传的身体批评和为孩子树立积极的身体形象，打破代际循环；并通过与年龄相关的观点，健康优先考虑和生殖身体欣赏来体现自我接受。这些发现表明，生育时期对于增强身体形象弹性和塑造更健康的身体态度是不可或缺的。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Health Psychology Open Psychology-Clinical Psychology

CiteScore

5.90

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

12 weeks

期刊介绍： Health Psychology Open (HPO) is an international, peer-reviewed, open access, online-only journal providing rapid publication. HPO is dedicated to publishing cutting-edge research in health psychology from around the world. HPO seeks to provide a platform for both traditional empirical analyses and more qualitative and/or critically oriented approaches to health psychology. All areas of health psychology are covered, but these topics are of particular interest: Clinical health psychology Critical health psychology Community health psychology Health psychology practice Health psychology through a social, cultural or regional lens The journal particularly favours papers that focus on health psychology in practice, including submissions concerning community and/or clinical applications and interventions. Review articles are also welcomed. There is no fixed limit to the length of manuscripts, which is normally strictly limited in other journals, for example HPO’s sister journal, Journal of Health Psychology (JHP). Studies published in this journal are required to obtain ethical approval from an Institutional Review Board. Such approval must include informed, signed consent by all research participants. Any manuscript not containing an explicit statement concerning ethical approval and informed consent will not be considered.