Negotiating body self-concept in Iranian women living with obesity: A qualitative phenomenological study.

Authors

Sedigheh Abbasi Ghalehtaki, Yaser Tedadi, Maryam Abolhasani, Mahnaz Ashoorkhani

Published in

Health psychology open. Volume 13. Pages 20551029261477150. Epub Aug 14, 2026.

Abstract

Background: Body self-concept is vital to psychological well-being, yet little is known about how women living with obesity in non-Western contexts, particularly Iran, negotiate their bodily identities amidst familial and gendered expectations. Methods: This descriptive phenomenological study explored body self-concept among 48 Iranian women with obesity using purposive maximum-variation sampling, including 24 treatment-seeking and 24 non-treatment participants. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed via Colaizzi's method, supported by reflexive and validation procedures. Results: Body self-concept emerged as a continuously negotiated, relational, and multilayered process. It is shaped by inner disruptions of the lived body, social visibility, life-course bodilychanges, psychobehavioural dynamics, and intergenerational influences. Participants experienced identity negotiation, self-surveillance, and stigma management within familial and social contexts, often marked by moral judgment and ambivalence toward change. Conclusions: Body self-concept is co-constructed through culturally embedded relational processes. Findings highlight the need for context-sensitive, stigma-reducing, and family-aware approaches in obesity care.

PMID:
42605298
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 17 Aug 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.