Vojnosanitetski pregled 2013 Volume 70, Issue 10, Pages: 940-946
https://doi.org/10.2298/VSP1310940N
Full text ( 274 KB)
Cited by
Psychosocial characteristics and motivational factors in woman seeking cosmetic breast augmentation surgery
Nikolić Jelena (Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Clinic of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Novi Sad)
Janjić Zlata (Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Clinic of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Novi Sad)
Marinković Marija (Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Clinic of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Novi Sad)
Petrović Jelica (Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology, Novi Sad)
Božić Teodora (Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Clinic of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Novi Sad)
Background/Aim. There are various opinions regarding the factors motivating
women to undergo breast augmentation. The aim of this study was to estimate
motivation for augmentation mammaplasty (AM), self-esteem and body image
perception in breast augmentation patients. Methods. This prospective study
involved AM patients operated in the Clinical Center of Vojvodina during a
3-year period. A total of 45 patients responded to our package of
questionnaires designed to assess motivation for surgery, self-esteem level
and body image perception. Those patients were compared to the control group
of women who did not want to change their breast size, and who were similar
in their age, social status and education level. Our package of
questionnaires included a general questionnaire, Photographic Figure Rating
Scale (PFRS) and Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale. Results. Differences in
marital status, educational level, habitation and employment status were
statistically insignificant, but there was a significantly lower body mass
index (BMI) in the operated women. Considering motives for surgery, a few
factors were distinguished: desire to feel more feminine (82.2%), confident
(75.5%) and attractive (73.3%), to feel less shy with men (64.4%), to
improve their sex life (46.5%), teasing history (42.2%) and easier to find a
partner (11.1%) and job (2.2%). Both groups demonstrated a high self-esteem
level, but in the AM group results were lower than in the control group.
The mean current self-rating by the PFRS in the group AM was lower than in
the control group (4.28 ± 1.3 vs 5.12 ± 1.23, respectively) and this
coincided with lower BMI in the AM group. The women in the AM group had
chosen significantly smaller body size as maximally attractive, and had
chosen a narrower attractive body size range than the women in the control
group. Conclusion. Preoperative evaluation of patients’ motives for surgery
can help surgeons to exclude woman with unrealistic expectations and
different psychological problems.
Keywords: esthetics, mammaplasty, psychology, personality assessment, questionnaires