2728 – Evaluation of self-esteem, body perception and social skills in individuals diagnosed with gynecomastia

Abstract

Gynecomastia is a medical condition that affects men. Physical symptom is an abnormal enlargement of the mammary glands. Men who have this condition often end up feeling too embarrassed to be seen and it can greatly interfere with their personal life and social skills. This study attempts to evaluate the hypothesis that surgical approaches to correct simply the view are not enough to improve the quality of patients’ lives. 30 patients who were admitted to general surgery outpatient clinic with complaints of large breast and diagnosed with gynecomastia were enrolled in this study. Social Skills Rating Scale (SSRS), Body Image Scale (BIS), Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI) were applied preoperatively to patients with grade 1 and 2 gynecomastia. Scales were repeated postoperatively on the third month. Preoperative and postoperative scores of BIS were significantly different. In a similar vein, preoperative and postoperative scores of Coopersmith SEI were significantly different, too. Coopersmith SEI and BIS scores were low in the preoperative period and higher in the postoperative period. However, in terms of SSRS there was not a statistically significant difference between preoperative and postoperative period. Results indicate that presence of gynecomastia even at the level of grade-1 and 2 is effective on self-esteem, body image and social skills. The results also show that for the treatment of individuals diagnosed with gynecomastia surgical interventions alone can be inadequate. In these patients, after the surgical treatments, the addition of individual training programs to improve social skills may be useful.