Body Image among Cancer Survivors: New Theoretical Frameworks and Psychological Interventions

A special issue of Current Oncology (ISSN 1718-7729). This special issue belongs to the section "Psychosocial Oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 462

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

To date, the increase in cancer survival rates has led to a rise in people living with chronic conditions. The average increase in life expectancy involves complex psychological needs and daily issues. In particular, oncological treatments and their related side-effects impact individuals' perception of their own body. Even years after oncological treatments, survivors often need to find a new balance between "Who I am currently" and "Who I would like to be" on an identity level, integrating personal health within their chronic condition. Research in psychology is required to propose new epistemological frameworks and models to promote a positive body image after cancer. In this Special Issue, we invite authors to enrich the current national and international debates with contributions that would improve the prevention and treatment of patients regarding their body image. Reviews, case and brief reports, research papers and longitudinal studies conducted using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods within different types of cancer are welcome.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in IJERPH.

Dr. Valeria Sebri
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • psychology
  • breast cancer patients and survivors
  • body image
  • psychological intervention
  • emotions

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 1105 KiB  
Article
Beauty Therapy to Support Psychosocial Recovery from Oncological Care: A Qualitative Research on the Lived Experience of Women with Breast Cancer Treated with Chemotherapy
by Denise Vagnini, Massimo Maria Grassi, Francesco Valenti, Emilio Bombardieri and Emanuela Saita
Curr. Oncol. 2024, 31(5), 2527-2541; https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol31050189 - 30 Apr 2024
Viewed by 255
Abstract
During the oncological care path, breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy suffer from a number of psycho-physical changes, and appearance-related side effects are among the primary determinants of psychosocial impairment. Appropriate interventions are needed due to the fact that treatment-induced transformations have been [...] Read more.
During the oncological care path, breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy suffer from a number of psycho-physical changes, and appearance-related side effects are among the primary determinants of psychosocial impairment. Appropriate interventions are needed due to the fact that treatment-induced transformations have been associated with a decline in overall quality of life, interpersonal and sexual difficulties, and adverse effects on therapeutic adherence. In the framework of integrative oncology, beauty therapy is an affordable and straightforward intervention that could be used in the clinical management of breast cancer side effects. This study aims to comprehend the emotional and lived experiences of women undergoing chemotherapy after a brief beauty therapy intervention with licensed beauticians. The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used as a methodological guideline. Sixteen women were purposefully recruited in a day hospital of a cancer unit, where the beauty therapy was implemented. At the end of the intervention, data were gathered using a semi-structured interview with open-ended questions. A thematic analysis was performed on verbatim transcriptions. Findings support the proposal of beauty therapy for patients undergoing chemotherapy. Assuming a relational viewpoint, beauty therapy could improve patients’ feelings about themselves and the way they feel about others, even if they do not declare a specific interest in their outward appearance. Full article
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