Abstract
ObjectiveMedical cancer treatment is often accompanied by appearance‐related side effects such as hair loss, skin irritation, and paleness, which can subsequently lead to psychosocial distress. Initial evidence suggests that beauty care interventions may reduce distress and improve quality of life (QoL), body image, and self‐esteem immediately.MethodsWe investigated the effects of a brief beauty care intervention on self‐reported symptoms of depression, quality of life, body image, and self‐esteem in 39 female primary breast cancer patients with appearance‐related treatment side effects. Patients were randomly assigned either to an immediate intervention group (IG) or to a wait‐list control (WL). The intervention consisted of a single‐session group makeup workshop, a photo shooting, and of receiving professionally edited portrait and upper‐body photos.ResultsWhile groups did not differ regarding any measure at the pretreatment baseline assessment, IG patients reported less symptoms of depression, higher QoL, and higher self‐esteem compared with baseline and compared with WL. Follow‐up at 8 weeks indicated moderate stability of these improvements.ConclusionsIn contrast to previous research, results indicate beneficial short‐term and midterm effects of beauty care on psychological outcomes in patients with early breast cancer. These results emphasize the utility of this type of brief, low‐cost intervention in women undergoing medical cancer treatment in order to improve their well‐being.
Highlights
| ParticipantsEighty‐four women with a diagnosis of early breast cancer were recruited through in‐hospital advertisement at the Breast Center of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany
The majority of breast cancer patients are faced with appearance‐ related side effects while undergoing medical cancer treatment
Immediate improvements in psychological outcomes have been reported consistently in studies investigating the effects of beauty care interventions in breast cancer patients
Summary
Eighty‐four women with a diagnosis of early breast cancer were recruited through in‐hospital advertisement at the Breast Center of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany. The subscales physical (eg, “I'm bothered by side effects of treatment.”; seven items), social/familial (eg, “I feel close to my friends.”; seven items), emotional (eg, “I feel sad.”; six items), and functional well‐being (eg, “I'm enjoying the things I usually do for fun.”; seven items), and the breast cancer subscale (eg, “I feel sexually attractive.”; 10 items) were rated on a 5‐point Likert‐type scale (0 [not at all] to 4 [very much]). Total scores can range from 0 to 148, and higher scores indicate higher quality of life in general and on the subscales, respectively. The BIS20 was used to measure the impact of appearance‐related side effects of cancer treatment on body image. Total scores can range from 0 to 30, and higher scores indicate higher body image satisfaction. Items were rated on an 11‐point Likert‐type scale (0 [not at all] to 10 [very much])
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