Dissatisfaction indicators related to body image in patients submitted to mastectomy

Abstract

Despite advances in breast cancer treatment, mastectomy continues to be widely used. However, this practice may have a negative effect on women’s emotional and social conditions due to changes in their body image. The objective of the present study was to conduct a literature review of indicators related to dissatisfaction in body image of women submitted to mastectomy. A search was performed in PubMed to identify relevant articles published in the international scientific literature between 2003 and 2012 using the keywords “breast cancer” in association with “body image” and “mastectomy”. Ten of the 232 papers evaluated were selected for inclusion. Both quantitative and qualitative studies involving mastectomized women and dealing with the term “body image” were included in the review. The results of the ten studies selected for inclusion show that, in the post-operative evaluation of breast cancer, mastectomized women had higher stress levels with respect to body image and reported being dissatisfied with the appearance of their breasts. The indicators related to body image dissatisfaction in patients submitted to mastectomy are: shame of not having a breast, dissatisfaction with their physical appearance, stress, low self-confidence, besides feeling less sexually attractive.