Trimester And Socio-Demographic Variations In Psychological Resilience, Body Image Dissatisfaction, And Depressive Symptoms During Pregnancy

Abstract

Understanding when and for whom prenatal distress increases is vital for targeted maternal mental-health care. This study explores cross-trimester and socio-demographic patterns of psychological resilience, body image dissatisfaction, and depressive symptoms among 396 expectant mothers. Using a mixed-methods antenatal dataset, descriptive comparisons and graphical trend analyses were conducted across trimesters and key demographic groups. Resilience was lowest in the first trimester and stabilised later, while body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms rose steadily from first to third trimester. Education and employment showed positive links with resilience, and older age groups reported higher body dissatisfaction. These results align with developmental adaptation models and highlight the late-pregnancy spike in emotional vulnerability. The findings argue for trimester-sensitive screening and demographic tailoring of resilience-based and body-image interventions within routine antenatal services.