Keywords

breast cancer, survivor, medical tattoo, body-image, mental health, rating

Abstract

A review of the literature reveals a high incidence of body-image distress among breast cancer survivors who have undergone surgery, which is a natural response to the significant changes in their appearance. Reconstructive surgery, utilizing implants or flaps, may be employed to restore breast size and shape. Medical tattooing can simulate the nipple-areola complex and decorative appliques can conceal scars and skin color variations. Both reconstructive surgery and medical tattoos are associated with patient-reported satisfaction, yet further research is necessary to understand their combined impact on body-image distress. To investigate this, a survey was distributed among national breast cancer support groups and advocacy organizations, yielding 207 responses from individuals meeting the study's criteria. The participants were categorized into two groups: those who received a post-surgical medical tattoo (n = 61) and those who did not (n = 146). The study also examined how participants evaluated the cosmetic and decision satisfaction of patients who made various cosmetic intervention choices post-mastectomy. This was accomplished by having participants rate images of patients who had received three types of intervention: mastectomy and reconstruction only, mastectomy and medical tattooing only, and mastectomy, reconstruction, and medical tattooing. Using linear regression and multilevel modeling that controlled for demographic and clinical factors associated with body-image distress, the findings demonstrated that participants with medical tattoos reported significantly lower levels of body-image distress, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress compared to those without medical tattoos. Furthermore, participants rated images of patients who underwent both reconstruction and medical tattooing post-mastectomy as having significantly higher cosmetic and decision satisfaction ratings than images of patients who received reconstruction or medical tattooing alone.

Completion Date

2023

Semester

Fall

Committee Chair

Cassisi, Jeffrey

Degree

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree Program

Clinical Psychology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

DP0028081

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0028081

Language

English

Release Date

December 2023

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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