A Comparative Clinical-Psychological Study of Women Undergoing Surgical Alteration of Appearance and Women with Eating Disorders

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Abstract

Background. Clinical-psychological characteristics of women who alter their appearance surgically and women with symptoms of eating disorders (EDs) are rarely examined in a comparative framework. This article presents the results of an empirical study aimed at comparing body image perception, self-attitude, and severity of psychopathological symptoms in women undergoing cosmetic surgery and in women with symptoms of EDs.

Materials and Methods. The study included 74 women with a history of cosmetic surgery (mean age 37±8.27 years) and 41 women with symptoms of EDs (mean age 31.5±9.65 years). All participants completed an online survey. The following instruments were employed for data collection: the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R; L. Derogatis, R. Lipman, L. Covi, 1977; adapted by N.V. Tarabrina), the Self-Attitude Questionnaire (S.R. Panteleev, V.V. Stolin, 1988), the Body Image Questionnaire (O.A. Skugarevsky, S.V. Sivukha, 2006), the Appearance-Based Rejection Sensitivity Scale (Park, 2007; adapted by A.Yu. Razvalyaeva, N.A. Polskaya), the Body Image Quality of Life Inventory (BIQLI; Cash & Fleming, 2002; adapted by L.T. Baranskaya et al.), the Value Orientations Method (O.I. Motkov, T.A. Ogneva, 2008), and an author-designed questionnaire.

Results and Analysis. In both groups, appearance was identified as an important value. However, women with disordered eating reported lower self-esteem, higher severity of psychopathological symptoms, greater body image dissatisfaction, and heightened sensitivity to appearance-based rejection. They also demonstrated a pronounced negative impact of body image perceptions on quality of life and psychological well-being.

Conclusion. The findings highlight the importance of psychological assessment aimed at identifying potential contraindications for cosmetic surgery.

About the authors

D. E. Shloido

Saint-Petersburg State University; Association of Eating Disorders Specialists

Author for correspondence.
Email: dina.shloydo@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8314-758X
postgraduate student 7-9, Universitetskaya Emb., St. Petersburg, Russia; 14, Martynovskaya Str., St. Petersburg, Russia

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