CLINICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FEMALE COSMETIC SURGERY PATIENTS

In recent years, there has been a steady increase in the number of patients seeking cosmetic surgery. Yet the psychopathological profile of Russian women who change their appearance through surgery, remains insufficiently studied. The article presents the results of an empiric study aimed at investigation of clinical and psychological characteristics of women with experience of cosmetic surgery. The study included 74 women who underwent cosmetic surgery (Mage 37±8.27 years). The following psychodiagnostic methods were used: SymptomChecklist-90-Revised(SCL-90-R) (Derogatis L., Lipman R., Covi L., 1977; adapted by N.V. Tarabrina); Self-Attitude Questionnaire (Pantileyev S.R., VStolin.V., 1988); Body Image Questionnaire (Skugarevsky O.A., Sivukha S.V., 2006); Appearance-Based Rejection Sensitivity Scale (Park L.E., 2007; adapted by A.Yu. Razvaliaeva and N.A. Polskaya); Body Image Quality of Life Inventory Questionnaire (Cash T.F., 2002; adapted by L.T. Baranskaya et al); Value Orientations Questionnaire (Motkov O.I., Ogneva T.A., 2008). It was found that body image plays a dominant role in the structure of respondents' self-esteem and self-perception. Women are characterized by pronounced dissatisfaction with the appearance and psychopathological symptoms. These results emphasize the importance of thorough preoperative psychological diagnostics before the surgery to identify patients suitable for the intervention and those who may be harmed by it.