Abstract

Objective: To explore the relationship of romantic attachment styles (e.g., Avoidant and anxiety) and body satisfaction among working and non-working pregnant women.
Methodology: This cross sectional survey with pregnant women were taken from Alshifa Hospital (n=30), Alshifa Maternity Care (n=30) and Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) (n=40) from April 2017 to October 2018. One hundred pregnant women were selected with purposive sampling technique using Solvin’s Formula. Experience in Close Relationships (ECR) and Body Satisfaction Scale (BSS) were used. To test study hypothesis, Cronbach alpha reliability, Pearson’s correlation, T-test and ANOVA were computed.
Results: Women in third trimester experienced more avoidant attachment (79.01±11.08) and anxiety attachment. Women in third trimester were higher on body dissatisfaction (90.13±14.55). Women in 81-100 kg weight were higher on avoidant attachment (75.00±12.56), anxiety attachment (76.66±16.52) and body dissatisfaction (78.80±19.01). Women with a greater number of miscarriages were higher on avoidant attachment (77.00±14.14) and anxiety attachment (76.76±13.46). Multiple regression analysis showed that avoidant attachment and anxiety attachment negatively predicted body dissatisfaction and explained 24% (R2=0.24) variance in body satisfaction of the pregnant women.
Conclusion: The less level of romantic attachment styles during pregnancy helps to reduce feeling of body dissatisfaction among pregnant women.

Key words: Avoidant attachment, anxiety attachment, body satisfaction, body dissatisfaction, pregnancy.