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Pregnant women with bulimia have higher levels of anxiety and depression
A new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) shows that pregnant women with bulimia have higher levels of anxiety and depression than those without the eating disorder. According to the study, which collected data on 41,000 pregnant women, those with bulimia showed not only higher levels of anxiety and depression but also had lower levels of self-esteem and were generally more dissatisfied with life and their partner. Of the 41,000 women surveyed, 96, .2%, met the criteria for bulimia nervosa during the first trimester; 67 reported having bulimia six months before they became pregnant. Another 26 women developed bulimia after pregnancy. The following is an excerpt of an article from Medical News Today that discusses the findings more:
Women with bulimia reported lower self-esteem and less satisfaction with life and their relationship with their partner. In addition, they reported a higher prevalence of symptoms associated with anxiety and depression.
* Women with bulimia reported a higher prevalence of life-long physical abuse, sexual abuse and major depression compared with others, says Cecilie Knoph Berg at the Division of Mental Health at the NIPH.
* Women who had bulimia six months before pregnancy but who were symptom-free in the first trimester, experienced higher self-esteem and satisfaction with life compared to other women with persistent symptoms.
Bulimia was measured six months before pregnancy and in the first trimester of pregnancy by completing the questionnaire in the first trimester.
Knoph Berg is the first author of “Psychosocial factors associated with broadly-defined bulimia nervosa during early pregnancy: Findings from the Norwegian mother and child cohort study” which is published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry.
Click here to read the rest of this article from Medical News Today
Click here for more information on bulimia nervosa
