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 are 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.

怀孕是一个独特的时期，在此期间，女性的身体会经历显着的身体变化（例如，腹部扩大、乳房变大、体重增加），这些变化可能会引起更多的客观化。客观化的经历为女性将自己视为性对象（即自我客观化）奠定了基础，并与不良的心理健康结果相关。尽管由于西方文化中怀孕身体的客体化，女性可能会经历高度的自我客体化和行为后果（例如身体监视），但很少有研究在围产期考察女性的客体化理论。本研究以 159 名怀孕和产后妇女为样本，调查了身体监视（自我客体化的结果）对孕产妇心理健康、母婴关系和婴儿社会情感结果的影响。利用串行中介模型，我们发现，在怀孕期间支持较高水平身体监测的母亲报告了更多的抑郁症状和身体不满，这与分娩后母婴关系的更大损害以及产后一年婴儿社会情绪功能障碍的增加有关。 。母亲产前抑郁症状作为一种独特的机制出现，通过身体监测来预测联结障碍和随后的婴儿结局。研究结果强调了早期干预工作的迫切需要，这些干预措施不仅要针对一般性抑郁症，还要促进身体功能和孕妇对西方“苗条理想”吸引力的接受。