Exploring the Impact of Stigma on Body Image and Emotion Regulation among Women with PCOS

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that affects a woman’s hormone levels. Fluctuations in hormone levels and the physical changes can lead to negative body image and negative emotion regulation. Stigma had significant impact on body image and emotion regulation. The current study aimed to explore the impact of stigma on body image and emotion regulation on sample of 150 women with PCOS form Haripur, Abbottabad, Islamabad and Lahore. The study was conducted using the stigma scale, body image concern inventory and emotion regulation questionnaire. The alpha reliabilities were found out to be .83, .93 and .81 of three scales respectively. SPSS was used for data analysis. The hypotheses of study were supported. It was found that stigma predicts body image negatively and significantly with (β= -.46, R2 =.209) and p< .001 and emotion regulation negatively and significantly with (β= -.15, R2 =.023) and p< .001. There exists a significant negative correlation between these variables. Results indicated significant age differences and significant differences of educational levels also.

Keywords: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Stigma, Body Image, Emotional Regulation.