Experiences of living with a visible difference and social support among individuals seeking appearance-altering surgery
Year: 2010
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This study explored the psychosocial experiences of living with a visible\ndifference and social support among individuals seeking appearancealtering\nsurgery. Appearance-altering surgery is a common intervention for\nindividuals with visible differences and research is important for helping\nservices better understand and respond to the experiences of serviceusers.\nThis study employed a mixed-methods approach, including questionnaires\nand semi-structured interviews. Participants were recruited from a Plastic\nand Reconstructive Surgery department within an NHS Trust Hospital\nduring a five-month period. 11 participants who met the inclusion criteria\nfor the study completed questionnaires. Due to the small sample, it was\nonly possible to conduct a descriptive analysis of the questionnaire data;\nthis indicated variation between participants' experiences of living with a\nvisible difference and social support. Eight participants who completed\nquestionnaires also participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic\nanalysis was used to analyse interview data. Findings from the thematic\nanalysis are presented in terms of four main themes and 11 sub-themes.\nThese suggested appearance-related thoughts and feelings are triggered\nby particular circumstances, including when people reacted to participants'\nvisible differences and when participants thought that people might react.\nParticipants attempted to manage appearance-related concerns and\ndifficulties through concealment, social avoidance and seeking surgery.\nParticipants described barriers to accessing support from others, such as\nconcerns about the risks associated with talking to others and the view that\nvisible difference is a problem with physical appearance that cannot be\nresolved through social support. Despite barriers, participants valued\nsome forms of social support, including others looking beyond their visible\ndifference, support being available when needed, understanding from\nothers regarding their experiences of living with a visible difference and\nseeking surgery and finally, affirmation of the decision to seek surgery. These findings are sample-specific and cannot be generalised to other\npopulations. However, the considerable variation between participants'\nexperiences suggests that plastic surgery services need to tailor\nassessments and interventions to the diverse needs of their service-users.\nThe findings are discussed with reference to previous theory and research.\nClinical and research implications are considered.
Author: Kim Brinkman
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W762343460