Pregnancy through the Looking-Glass: correlates of disordered eating attitudes among a sample of Lebanese pregnant women
Abstract Introduction Despite the risks of gestational disordered eating for both the mother and fetus, research into this subject is scarce within developing countries, particularly in Lebanon. Our study’s objective was to delve into the predictors of disordered eating attitudes during pregnancy am...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-09-01
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| Series: | BMC Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05205-w |
| _version_ | 1827709072061759488 |
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| author | Sarah Gerges Sahar Obeid Souheil Hallit |
| author_facet | Sarah Gerges Sahar Obeid Souheil Hallit |
| author_sort | Sarah Gerges |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Introduction Despite the risks of gestational disordered eating for both the mother and fetus, research into this subject is scarce within developing countries, particularly in Lebanon. Our study’s objective was to delve into the predictors of disordered eating attitudes during pregnancy among a sample of Lebanese pregnant women while assessing the potential mediating effect of body dissatisfaction between psychosocial factors and disordered eating attitudes in pregnancy. Methods We framed a cross-sectional study, built on self-report measures. Pregnant women of 18 years old and above were recruited from all the Lebanese governorates through an online survey (N = 433). Results The results showed that higher pregnancy-specific hassles (Beta = 0.19), media and pregnant celebrities’ influence (Beta = 0.22), and body dissatisfaction (Beta = 0.17) were significantly associated with increased disordered eating attitudes in pregnancy; whereas higher perceived social support (Beta = -0.03), lower socio-economic status (Beta = -0.84), and multigravidity (Beta = -0.96) were significantly associated with less disordered eating attitudes during pregnancy. Body dissatisfaction mediated the association between pregnancy-specific hassles and disordered eating attitudes, and between social appearance concerns and disordered eating attitudes. Conclusion Our study highlighted that antenatal care, particularly in Lebanon, should no longer be limited to biological monitoring but rather seek to identify possible eating disorders and mental health threats. Further investigations following longitudinal designs should pursue identifying additional correlates of gestational disordered eating in the clinical context, in furtherance of consolidating screening programs and building targeted treatment strategies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:15:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-03784378ed96402784b0afae52663641 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-244X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:15:52Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-03784378ed96402784b0afae526636412023-11-20T10:29:49ZengBMCBMC Psychiatry1471-244X2023-09-0123111210.1186/s12888-023-05205-wPregnancy through the Looking-Glass: correlates of disordered eating attitudes among a sample of Lebanese pregnant womenSarah Gerges0Sahar Obeid1Souheil Hallit2School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of KaslikSocial and Education Sciences Department, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American UniversitySchool of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of KaslikAbstract Introduction Despite the risks of gestational disordered eating for both the mother and fetus, research into this subject is scarce within developing countries, particularly in Lebanon. Our study’s objective was to delve into the predictors of disordered eating attitudes during pregnancy among a sample of Lebanese pregnant women while assessing the potential mediating effect of body dissatisfaction between psychosocial factors and disordered eating attitudes in pregnancy. Methods We framed a cross-sectional study, built on self-report measures. Pregnant women of 18 years old and above were recruited from all the Lebanese governorates through an online survey (N = 433). Results The results showed that higher pregnancy-specific hassles (Beta = 0.19), media and pregnant celebrities’ influence (Beta = 0.22), and body dissatisfaction (Beta = 0.17) were significantly associated with increased disordered eating attitudes in pregnancy; whereas higher perceived social support (Beta = -0.03), lower socio-economic status (Beta = -0.84), and multigravidity (Beta = -0.96) were significantly associated with less disordered eating attitudes during pregnancy. Body dissatisfaction mediated the association between pregnancy-specific hassles and disordered eating attitudes, and between social appearance concerns and disordered eating attitudes. Conclusion Our study highlighted that antenatal care, particularly in Lebanon, should no longer be limited to biological monitoring but rather seek to identify possible eating disorders and mental health threats. Further investigations following longitudinal designs should pursue identifying additional correlates of gestational disordered eating in the clinical context, in furtherance of consolidating screening programs and building targeted treatment strategies.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05205-wEating disordersPregorexiaMental healthMental disordersBody imagePregnancy |
| spellingShingle | Sarah Gerges Sahar Obeid Souheil Hallit Pregnancy through the Looking-Glass: correlates of disordered eating attitudes among a sample of Lebanese pregnant women BMC Psychiatry Eating disorders Pregorexia Mental health Mental disorders Body image Pregnancy |
| title | Pregnancy through the Looking-Glass: correlates of disordered eating attitudes among a sample of Lebanese pregnant women |
| title_full | Pregnancy through the Looking-Glass: correlates of disordered eating attitudes among a sample of Lebanese pregnant women |
| title_fullStr | Pregnancy through the Looking-Glass: correlates of disordered eating attitudes among a sample of Lebanese pregnant women |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pregnancy through the Looking-Glass: correlates of disordered eating attitudes among a sample of Lebanese pregnant women |
| title_short | Pregnancy through the Looking-Glass: correlates of disordered eating attitudes among a sample of Lebanese pregnant women |
| title_sort | pregnancy through the looking glass correlates of disordered eating attitudes among a sample of lebanese pregnant women |
| topic | Eating disorders Pregorexia Mental health Mental disorders Body image Pregnancy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05205-w |
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