Body image in pregnancy: An attachment perspective.
Item
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Title
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Body image in pregnancy: An attachment perspective.
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Identifier
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AAI9108119
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identifier
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9108119
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Creator
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Huganir, Linda Snyder.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Arietta Slade
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Date
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1990
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical | Women's Studies | Psychology, Developmental
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Abstract
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Pregnancy is an ideal time to study body image in women because it is the only time in adult life when dramatic bodily changes occur under normal circumstances. Previous research has largely ignored differences among pregnant women in their body image attitudes. The present study investigated the relationship between a woman's history of attachment relationships and her body image during pregnancy.;Eighteen primiparous women in their last trimester of pregnancy were given a semi-structured Pregnancy Interview, designed to elicit feelings and attitudes about their pregnant bodies. Additional instruments included a Body Image Questionnaire, the Rorschach Inkblot Test, and a Pregnancy Symptom Checklist. Subjects were then given the Adult Attachment Interview (George, Kaplan and Main, 1985), yielding an attachment classification of Secure/Autonomous, Insecure/Dismissing or Insecure/Preoccupied with respect to attachment.;A strong relationship was found between a woman's attachment classification and her affective response to her pregnant body. Women classified as autonomous responded to their pregnant bodies with delight and/or acceptance and enjoyed their pregnant appearance. Subjects classified as dismissing had trouble adjusting to their pregnant appearance and had a negative body image during pregnancy. Women classified as preoccupied were extremely focused on their pregnant bodies and often vacillated between strong positive and strong negative feelings about their pregnant appearance. Other measures of body image, such as Barrier and Penetration scores on the Rorschach, self-reported body cathexis, and number of somatic symptoms did not differentiate among the three attachment groups. It is argued, however, that the semi-structured clinical interview is a more sensitive measure of the affective component of body image.;These results suggest that women do vary in their body image experiences during pregnancy and that these differences may be attributable to differences in attachment history. There is strong evidence in the literature that patterns of attachment are transmitted inter-generationally and that insecure attachments in infants and children are associated with poorer socioemotional outcomes. The findings in the present study suggest that pregnancy is a critical phase in the development of mother-child attachment.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
