Effectiveness of positive psychotherapy through telemedicine on eating disorder beliefs of overweight pregnant women

Introduction: According to global estimates, more than ۳۰% of women are obese. While half of pregnant mothers are obese and overweight. Maternal obesity during pregnancy is associated with complications such as diabetes, hypertension, premature birth, post-term birth, labor disorders, cesarean section, cesarean wound opening, macrosomic or low-weight fetus, and unexplained fetal death(۱). Positive psychotherapy is one of the new therapeutic approaches that causes important changes and developments in people's health. In this approach, instead of focusing on problems and weaknesses, it is emphasized on increasing positive emotions and enhancing the meaning of life(۲). The protocol used in positive interventions improve people's quality of life by increasing excitement and positive feelings and satisfying people's basic needs, such as self-respect, love and communication(۳). The present study was carried out with the aim of " Effectiveness of positive psychotherapy through telemedicine on eating disorder beliefs of overweight pregnant women ".Methodology: Data collection was done by searching Scopus, Science Direct, Magiran, Elsevier and Google Scholar and PubMed search engines. The keywords used in the search include pregnant women, eating disorders, obesity, non-pharmacological treatments, positive psychology, psychotherapy and telemedicine. A total of ۲۳ articles were found, of which ۱۲ were analyzed. Results: The analysis of the data of the reviewed articles indicated that training based on positive psychotherapy through telemedicine improved the weight gain of pregnant women. On the other hand, the rate of eating disorders among women in the intervention groups was significantly lower than that of women in the control group(P<۰.۰۵).Discussion and conclusion: According to the obtained results, positive psychotherapy can be used to reduce eating disorders in pregnant women. Therefore, therapists are suggested to use this intervention in the treatment of overweight and obesity. Consultation using telemedicine can be by using phone conversation, SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram or special apps designed by researchers. In positive psychology, the probability of the appearance of abstraction more positive than oneself and others, it can increase in people according to the positive points and good experiences of the past. That's it causes people to be more responsible about their valueaccept and achieve a complete and comprehensive understanding of themselves. When people realize their intrinsic value and complete knowledge of they find themselves taking steps towards making positive and effective changes, and weight loss can be one of these positive changes in life(۴).

Keywords:

pregnant women , eating disorders , obesity , non-pharmacological treatments , positive psychology , psychotherapy and telemedicine