Perceived Humanization by Intimate Partners during Pregnancy Is Associated with fewer Depressive Symptoms, Less Body Dissatisfaction, and Greater Sexual Satisfaction through Reduced Self-Objectification

Brock, Rebecca L.; Ramsdell, Erin L.; Sáez, Gemma; Gervais, Sarah J.

doi:10.1007/s11199-020-01166-6

Cited by 13 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…In this study, women without children had higher levels of self-objectification than mothers of young, and school-aged children. This protective state of motherhood could be due to the reduced pressure on women to find a partner, and have children, both of which are associated with sexual objectification (Brock et al, 2020). A recent systematic review of motherhood and objectification revealed that, across 18 studies, objectification by self and others was evident among mothers, but none of these studies compared women with and without children (Donati Beech et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A recent systematic review of motherhood and objectification revealed that, across 18 studies, objectification by self and others was evident among mothers, but none of these studies compared women with and without children (Donati Beech et al, 2020). Research conducted among dyads of pregnant women and their partners found that when women reported feeling humanized by their partners, they had lower levels of objectification (Brock et al, 2020). Those authors suggested that pregnancy (and we extend this to the postpartum period) may be a unique time in the lives of women where "the tenets of objectification theory simply do not apply" (p. 10).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This finding is consistent with previous research indicating that levels of objectification show a trend towards decreasing across the adult years in women (Tiggemann, 2004; Tiggemann and Lynch, 2001; Tiggemann and McCourt, 2013). It might be that, as they get older, women prioritize other thing, or that the impact of having a partner (and particularly a supportive one) reduces objectification over time (Brock et al, 2020). This is welcomed, as higher self-objectification has been linked to negative body image, disordered eating, depressed mood, and low sexual satisfaction (Tiggemann, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mumbod? A comparison of body image and dietary restraint among women with younger, older, and no children

et al. 2020

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Pregnancy and the postpartum period are times of significant body, and body image changes for women. Adult women ( N = 885) aged 21 to 47 years old completed an online questionnaire. Mothers of young children (0–5 years) had significantly lower levels of body shame, self-objectification, and dietary restraint than women without children, and women with school-aged (6–10 years) children had significantly lower self objectification than women without children, once we controlled for age. BMI predicted body shame more than motherhood status. This research has implications for the development of appropriate body image interventions for adult women.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mumbod? A comparison of body image and dietary restraint among women with younger, older, and no children

et al. 2020

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“…A substantial body of the literature shows that self-objectification is directly related to women's mental health. Women with a high level of selfobjectification are associated with a high risk of physical anxiety (Tiggemann and Andrew, 2012;Watson et al, 2012), body dissatisfaction (Lindner et al, 2012;Tiggemann and Andrew, 2012;Brock et al, 2021), body shame (Tiggemann and Boundy, 2008;Choma et al, 2009;Baildon et al, 2021), depression (Peat and Muehlenkamp, 2011;Jones and Griffiths, 2015;Register et al, 2015), disordered eating Al-Mutawa et al, 2019;Kilpela et al, 2019;Holmes et al, 2020), and sexual dysfunction (Fredrickson and Roberts, 1997;Tiggemann, 2011). Counselors and therapists can use C-SOBBS to help people deal with issues related to selfobjectification.…”

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of the Chinese Version of the Self-Objectification Beliefs and Behaviors Scale

Lang

2021

Front. Psychol.

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Given the limitations of the existing tools used for measuring self-objectification in China, this study aims to validate the Chinese version of the self-objectification beliefs and behaviors scale (C-SOBBS). In this study, we first translated and culturally adopted SOBBS to the Chinese context. We conducted two wave surveys. In the first-wave survey, we recruited 331 female college students whose age ranged from 18 to 35 (Mage=20.28, SD=2.99) to complete an online survey that included demographic questions, C-SOBBS, and four other scales to assess the validity of C-SOBBS. In the second-wave survey, 76 participants who took part in the first-wave survey completed the C-SOBBS at a two-week interval for the assessment of test-retest stability. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to validate the factor structure of the C-SOBBS. The relationship between the C-SOBBS, its factors, and four other measures demonstrated that the C-SOBBS has a convergent and discriminant validity. Furthermore, the results of hierarchical multiple regression demonstrated the C-SOBBS’s incremental validity related to the Female Questionnaire of Trait Self-Objectification and Objectified Body Consciousness-Surveillance subscale. Additionally, the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the C-SOBBS were also verified. The results of this study demonstrate the utility of the C-SOBBS in assessing the self-objectification beliefs and behaviors of young Chinese women within the context of Chinese culture.

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“…Indeed, a systematic review of research on self-objecti cation and motherhood by Beech and colleagues (2020) revealed that self-objecti cation among mothers is associated with a range of negative outcomes, such as di culties breastfeeding, fear of childbirth, depression, and disordered eating. Despite these possibilities, remarkably few studies have examined whether the tenets of objecti cation theory apply to the perinatal period (Beech et al, 2020;Brock et al, 2021;Rubin & Steinberg, 2011). Because of the signi cant changes that women's bodies undergo during pregnancy and postpartum (e.g., expanding belly, larger breasts, weight gain), the present investigation focused on body surveillance (see Talmon & Ginzburg, 2016, for other important facets of self-objecti cation).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-objectification during the perinatal period: The role of body surveillance in maternal and infant wellbeing

Laifer

Maras

Sáez

et al. 2023

Preprint

Self Cite

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Pregnancy represents a unique time during which women’s bodies undergo significant physical changes (e.g., expanding belly, larger breasts, weight gain) that can elicit increased objectification. Experiences of objectification set the stage for women to view themselves as sexual objects (i.e., self-objectification) and is associated with adverse mental health outcomes. Although women may experience heightened self-objectification and behavioral consequences (such as body surveillance) due to the objectification of pregnant bodies in Western cultures, there are remarkably few studies examining objectification theory among women during the perinatal period. The present study investigated the impact of body surveillance, a consequence of self-objectification, on maternal mental health, mother-infant bonding, and infant socioemotional outcomes in a sample of 159 women navigating pregnancy and postpartum. Utilizing a serial mediation model, we found that mothers who endorsed higher levels of body surveillance during pregnancy reported more depressive symptoms and body dissatisfaction, which were associated with greater impairments in mother-infant bonding following childbirth and more infant socioemotional dysfunction at 1-year postpartum. Maternal prenatal depressive symptoms emerged as a unique mechanism through which body surveillance predicted bonding impairments and subsequent infant outcomes. Results highlight the critical need for early intervention efforts that not only target general depression, but also promote body functionality and acceptance over the Western “thin ideal” of attractiveness among expecting mothers.

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Perceived Humanization by Intimate Partners during Pregnancy Is Associated with fewer Depressive Symptoms, Less Body Dissatisfaction, and Greater Sexual Satisfaction through Reduced Self-Objectification

Cited by 13 publications

References 63 publications

Mumbod? A comparison of body image and dietary restraint among women with younger, older, and no children

Mumbod? A comparison of body image and dietary restraint among women with younger, older, and no children

Validation of the Chinese Version of the Self-Objectification Beliefs and Behaviors Scale

Self-objectification during the perinatal period: The role of body surveillance in maternal and infant wellbeing

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