ArticleJournal of midwifery & women's health
Internalized Weight Bias, Weight-Related Experiences, And Peripartum Weight.
Article in Journal of midwifery & women's health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Weight stigma in the preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum periods: A systematic review of women's perspectives.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025Pooled it
- Psychometric properties of the weight self-stigma questionnaire and weight bias internalization scale in postpartum women.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Measuring and Managing Obesity in Pregnancy Using the Edmonton Obesity Staging System: A Scoping Review.Clinical obesity · 2026Article
- Exploring the relationships among weight stigma, weight bias internalisation, feeling fat, and self-esteem across preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum.Health psychology and behavioral medicine · 2026Article
- Perceived weight stigma and disordered eating behaviors among postpartum women: The mediating role of weight bias internalization and postpartum depression.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2025Article
- Pregnancy and weight gain: a scoping review of women's perceptions and experiences with stigma.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Presentation of a weight bias internalization tool for use in pregnancy and a call for future research: A commentary.Obesity pillars · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionThe purpose of this study was to investigate internalized weight bias (IWB) and its relationship with pregnancy-related weight changes and postpartum depression. IWB is defined as the internalization of negative attitudes and beliefs about people due to their weight. Although IWB has been linked with weight change and depression in other samples, it has never been investigated in the postpartum period.
methodsWe used a cross-sectional survey design. Participants were 251 women recruited via social media who were living in the United States and 6 to 12 months postpartum. We calculated percentage of body weight gained during pregnancy and percentage of that weight that was retained postpartum from self-reported weights. Participants completed self-report measures of IWB (modified version of the Weight Bias Internalization Scale) and postpartum depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale).
resultsGestational weight gain was not significantly associated with IWB or depression. Postpartum retention of gestational weight was significantly positively associated with both IWB and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, IWB mediated the relationship between postpartum weight retention and depressive symptoms. DISCUSSION: Postpartum retention of weight gained during pregnancy, but not weight gain itself, was related to both IWB and depressive symptoms. The relationship between pregnancy-related weight changes and psychological distress is complex. Sociocultural pressures to return to a prepregnancy physical state swiftly after giving birth may increase risk for IWB during a time in life when stress is already likely to be high, posing additional psychological risk. IWB existing prepregnancy may also worsen postpartum self-concept, contributing to depression. This is the first study, to our knowledge, to directly assess associations among gestational weight change, IWB, and postpartum depression. In addition to discussing weight in pregnancy, perinatal care providers could improve postpartum health by helping women set realistic, body-positive goals postpartum.
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