The relationship between perfectionism and body image with eating disorder in pregnancy

Mental health is very important during pregnancy, and perfectionism, body image, and eating disorder are three important factors in mental health. Given that eating disorders are very dangerous in pregnancy, the aim of this study was to determine the relationship between perfectionism and body image with eating disorder in pregnancy.

This descriptive study was performed on 200 pregnant women referred to Isfahan Health Centers in 2017. The research units, if met the inclusion criteria, completed the Eating Attitudes Questionnaire, Multidimensional Relationships of their Body Questionnaire, and Perfectionism Questionnaire. Finally, the data were analyzed by SPSS software version 22, with a significance level of 0.05.

The results showed that there was a significant negative relationship between positive perfectionism with symptoms of eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, and nervous longing to eat. There was a significant positive correlation between negative perfectionism with symptoms of eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, and nervous longing to eat. The results also showed a significant negative relationship between body image and its dimensions with symptoms of eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, and neurasthenia.

Perfectionism and body image and its dimensions are psychological problems related to eating disorder in pregnancy. For this reason, it seems that taking classes for pregnant women and their spouses can reduce the incidence of this disorder.