Enhancing Self-Esteem and Body Image of Breast Cancer Women through Interventions: A Systematic Review

Lucía Morales-Sánchez, Violeta Luque-Ribelles, Paloma Gil-Olarte, Paula Ruiz-González and Rocío Guil
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Lucía Morales-Sánchez: Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, 11519 Cádiz, Spain
Violeta Luque-Ribelles: Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, 11519 Cádiz, Spain
Paloma Gil-Olarte: Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, 11519 Cádiz, Spain
Paula Ruiz-González: Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, 11519 Cádiz, Spain
Rocío Guil: Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, 11519 Cádiz, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Breast Cancer (BC) is the most common neoplasm in women worldwide, considered a global public health problem. Among BC women, some of the most common psychological symptoms in the adaptation to the disease are reduction in self-esteem and distorted body image (BI). Although there are numerous studies with the goal of promoting different psychological variables, BI and self-esteem are often separately observed despite their relationship and their importance in the process of the illness. Moreover, there have been no reviews that have synthesized the findings related to interventions aimed at enhancing both self-esteem and BI in BC women. Therefore, the objective of this review was to identify and examine the implemented interventions aimed at boosting both variables in this population. For this purpose, a systematic review was implemented following the PRISMA statement. A thorough search was performed on the following databases: Web of Science, PubMed, PsychInfo, PsychArticles, and Scopus. Among 287 records, only eight articles met the eligibility criteria. Interventions were grouped into three types according to their characteristics: Group therapies, Physical activity therapies, and Cosmetic and beauty treatments. The levels of effectiveness of the different interventions varied between them, and within each, in their impact on self-esteem and BI. More interventions focused on developing BI and self-esteem in this population are needed due to their ability to predict psychological functioning and quality of life of women with breast cancer.

Keywords: breast cancer; women; body image; self-esteem; intervention; program; therapy; systematic review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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