Body image and quality of life in adolescents with craniofacial conditions

© Copyright 2017 American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association. Objective: To evaluate body image in adolescents with and without craniofacial conditions and to examine relationships between body image and quality of life. Design: Case-control design. Setting: A pediatric hospital's craniofacial center and primary care practices. Participants: Seventy adolescents with visible craniofacial conditions and a demographically matched sample of 42 adolescents without craniofacial conditions. Main Outcome Measure: Adolescents completed measures of quality of life and body image including satisfaction with weight, facial and overall appearance, investment in appearance (importance of appearance to self-worth), and body image disturbance (appearance-related distress and impairment in functioning). Results: Adolescents with craniofacial conditions reported lower appearance investment (P < .001) and were more likely to report concerns about facial features (P < .02) compared with nonaffected youth. Females in both groups reported greater investment in appearance, greater body image disturbance, and lower weight satisfaction compared with males (P < .01). Within both groups, greater body image disturbance was associated with lower quality of life (P < .01). The two groups did not differ significantly on measures of quality of life, body image disturbance, or satisfaction with appearance. Conclusions: Body image and quality of life in adolescents with craniofacial conditions are similar to nonaffected youth. Relationships between body image and quality of life emphasize that appearance perceptions are important to adolescents' well-being regardless of whether they have a facial disfigurement. Investment in one's appearance may explain variations in body image satisfaction and serve as an intervention target, particularly for females

Changing appearances: cosmetic surgery and body dysmorphic disorder

Cosmetic surgery has become increasingly popular in the past 15 years, and even seems to be common practice. The overall picture communicates that people profit from these interventions. Generally, people wish to alter their appearance when they are dissatisfied about their body image and when appearance determines their self-esteem to a great extent. Body image disturbances, such as body dysmorphic disorder (bdd), are situated within the extreme dissatisfaction range. Bdd is a serious disorder which is characterised by a preoccupation with an imaginary defect in appearance or an excessive concern about a slight physical abnormality. Patients can be effectively treated with cognitive behavioural therapy or a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, but most of them are convinced that cosmetic surgery is the only answer. Surgery outcome is often disappointing, however. This article aims to summarise the literature about cosmetic surgery and bdd and argues that cosmetic surgery patients should be screened psychologically to detect whether they have bdd. Results of a pilot study are presented to underpin this claim. (netherlands journal of psychology, 62, 34-41.)

Approche clinique du “poids de la perte” chez la personne obèse.

Offering major weight and comorbidity reductions, bariatric surgery has become a treatment of choice in the medical management of severe and morbid obesities. The benefits of this intervention can be only temporary if it does not address the psychological determinants of these conditions. We address the question of the "significance of loss" among bariatric surgery patients. Our results suggest that both the onset and the maintenance of some obesities can be understood in the context of one's capacity to elaborate the psychic conflicts associated with previous losses and mourning. © Springer Paris 2009.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe