Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Jewett, Lisa R

Titel

Acquired Disfigurement from a Medical Illness: Assessing Body Image Concerns in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis

Ort / Verlag

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Erscheinungsjahr

2011

Quelle

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Systemic sclerosis or scleroderma (SSc) is a rare, chronic, autoimmune connective tissue disease characterized by significant visible disfigurements to socially relevant body parts, such as the mouth, face, and hands. There is no cure for scleroderma and treatments do little to alleviate the disfiguring physical changes that can be extensive and difficult to conceal. Despite patient-reported problems with the appearance changes associated with SSc, there is very little research on disfigurement and body image concerns among people with the disease. The present research is comprised of two studies using patient databases from Canada and the United States and constitutes the first time body image issues have been systematically assessed among large samples of SSc patients. The first part of the research developed the Brief-Satisfaction with Appearance Scale (Brief-SWAP) as a 6-item SSc-specific measurement tool that assesses relevant body image concerns for patients and that addresses limitations of previous measures. The Brief-SWAP was found to be a reliable and valid measure of body image dissatisfaction and social discomfort among SSc patients. The second part found that sociodemographic factors such as age, sex, and marital status, in addition to disease variables, including the extent of skin disfigurement, are strongly associated with body image dissatisfaction and social discomfort. More research is needed to assess what other aspects of body image are important for people with SSc, and efforts towards developing and implementing self-help resources and treatment strategies targeting these issues are necessary.