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A longitudinal study investigating disordered eating during the transition to motherhood among Chinese women in Hong Kong
Author(s) -
Lai Beatrice Puiyee,
Tang Catherine Sokum,
Tse Winni Kwoklai
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.20266
Subject(s) - disordered eating , psychosocial , pregnancy , longitudinal study , psychology , depressive symptoms , eating disorders , perinatal period , clinical psychology , medicine , developmental psychology , psychiatry , anxiety , pathology , biology , genetics
Objective: The current longitudinal study explored the prevalence and psychosocial factors of disordered eating among new Chinese mothers in Hong Kong. Method: Self‐report questionnaires on bulimic symptoms and pregnancy‐related factors were collected at both prenatal and postnatal periods from 131 Chinese women. Results: Participants reported significantly more severe disordered eating in the postnatal than in the prenatal period, with percentages being 19.08% and 8.4%, respectively, using the Eating Disorder Inventory‐2. Results revealed that prenatal disordered eating, weak maternal‐fetal attachment, a low level of instrumental spousal support during pregnancy, postnatal depressive symptoms, and a poor mother‐infant relationship were significantly related to disordered eating at 6 months postchildbirth. Conclusion: Findings suggested that the transition to motherhood is a period of stress that may either precipitate or exacerbate disordered eating. © 2006 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2006.