Body image and self-esteem

Abstract

Introduction: Motherhood is an amazing experience for a woman. It turns out, however, that the joy of having a baby is often accompanied by a negative body image and, at the same time, a reduction in self-esteem.
 Method: The study sample consisted of 60 puerperal women. A personal questionnaire was used to collect information related to pregnancy, family situation. The body image was verified with the Body Esteem Scale (BES), and the MSEI Multidimensional Self-Assessment Questionnaire was used to test the self-esteem. The research was conducted in the first three quarters of 2019 in Poland.
 Results: 66.7% of the mothers surveyed gave birth without complications, 53.3% breastfed their babies. Among women for whom appearance is very important, the lowest weight gain was observed during pregnancy. The relationship between the body image in all its dimensions and the support obtained from relatives has been proven (p=0.001 to 0.036). It has been proved that the type of feeding the child has a significant relationship with the "weight control" subscale (F=3.03; p=0.04), and the "physical condition" with the assessment of the body before pregnancy (F=4.34; p=0.004). Women giving birth in natural conditions obtained significantly higher results in "competence" and "popularity". "Weight control" negatively correlates with the feeling of "being loved" (r=-0.47; p=0.001), but positively with "leadership abilities" (r=0.31; p=0.016) and with "vitality" (r=0.46, 0.001). Also "physical condition" negatively correlates with the feeling of "being loved" (r=-0.39; p=0.002) and "vitality" (r=-0.45; p=0.001) and "identity integration" (r=-0.31; p=0.018).
 Conclusions: The examined women in the puerperium have a much worse image of their body compared to its subjective assessment before the pregnancy. Those of them who declared support from their relatives assessed their own bodies much more favorably. The type of child feeding in the study sample was significantly related to the body image of the mothers in the “weight control” subscale. In mothers who assessed their own body extremely (very good vs. very bad) before delivery, the greatest decrease in the sense of sexual attractiveness was shown.